Icon Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 1,015 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,088 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $18,843,000. F M Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth $14,370,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at $9,565,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $146.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 5.81%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Stephens increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.33.

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.