Vontobel Holding Ltd. Trims Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. trimmed its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 547 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Pitcairn Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $133.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.20.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,520,240. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $147.72 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.69 and a fifty-two week high of $154.93. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $147.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.83.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 presently 6.32%.

The Ensign Group 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.