Cynosure Group LLC Sells 1,435 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Cynosure Group LLC lessened its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,791 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,435 shares during the quarter. Cynosure Group LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $689,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $151,827,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at about $18,843,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $14,370,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $9,565,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $145.98 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $8.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $148.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.