The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Oak Associates Ltd. OH

Oak Associates Ltd. OH trimmed its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 19,981 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,030 shares during the period. Oak Associates Ltd. OH’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,471,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $251,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 55,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,176,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 6,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $753,000 after buying an additional 3,949 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $152.73 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $142.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.28. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $90.00 and a 1-year high of $153.64. The firm has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.19, 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,057,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

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.