D.A. Davidson & CO. Increases Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. owned approximately 0.08% of The Ensign Group worth $6,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $145.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $158.45. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $148.48 and a 200 day moving average of $138.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. 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 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. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on 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 began coverage on 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 boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently 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.