Premier Fund Managers Ltd Sells 2,039 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Premier Fund Managers Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,126 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,039 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,834,000 after buying an additional 39,695 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $448,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 6,583 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $144.66 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $148.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.57. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.