Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 89,060 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 79.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,496 shares of the company’s stock after selling 89,060 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after acquiring an additional 310,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,031,000 after acquiring an additional 221,838 shares in the last quarter. F M Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth $14,370,000. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 142.8% during the fourth quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 187,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,022,000 after purchasing an additional 110,177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ENSG. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Macquarie assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6 %

ENSG stock opened at $151.73 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.00 and a 52 week high of $154.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $144.85 and a 200 day moving average of $129.48.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.