The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Short Interest Update

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,210,000 shares, an increase of 11.1% from the October 31st total of 1,990,000 shares. Currently, 4.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 579,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after acquiring an additional 66,314 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after purchasing an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $151,827,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of ENSG traded down $1.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $145.15. 248,314 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 375,920. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.12. 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 $8.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Stephens lifted 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. 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

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.