Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Has $52.44 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 364,633 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,772 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 0.64% of The Ensign Group worth $52,441,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. BOKF NA raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 63.6% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 2,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 595.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,553,000 after buying an additional 17,573 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $145.20 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $148.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.14. The firm has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.