Blue Trust Inc. Boosts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 699 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 note on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 3.3 %

ENSG stock opened at $156.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.93 billion, a PE ratio of 41.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $149.07 and a 200-day moving average of $134.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.56 and a one year high of $157.13.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 16,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,363,620. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Company 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.