Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Reduces Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 18,990 shares of the company’s stock after selling 319 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $792,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 294.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,203,000 after purchasing an additional 7,262 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 6,583 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,500,000. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 54,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,757,000 after purchasing an additional 4,684 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price 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 four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $151.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.69 billion, a PE ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.33 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $149.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,943,620. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.