Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Sells 1,119 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 9.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,341 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,119 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,631,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,788,820. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 11,118 shares of company stock worth $1,660,200 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $148.79 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.64. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $104.09 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.95. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given 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 was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. 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 report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.20.

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.