Intech Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 18.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,836 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,957 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $448,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 14.4% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 6,583 shares during the period. Natixis lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 39.6% during the first quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens upped their target price 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. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.7 %

ENSG opened at $146.36 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $148.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.85.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.