Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 272 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,169 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at about $151,827,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in The Ensign Group by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,693,000 after buying an additional 59,933 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 245,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,283,000 after buying an additional 51,367 shares during the period. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth approximately $5,167,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $146.36 on Monday. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.14. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.