Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.32% of The Ensign Group worth $163,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $150.86 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.00 and a 12 month high of $154.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Macquarie started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $139.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,520,240. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.