The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Purchased by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,924 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,632 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ENSG. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Stephens increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their target price 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.6 %

ENSG stock opened at $136.41 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.29 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.05%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, 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 at this hyperlink. 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.