2,106 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Bought by Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 2,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $303,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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 price target on the stock. 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, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.5 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $144.23 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company 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 company’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.81%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

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

About The Ensign Group

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.