Intech Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,836 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,957 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $448,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after acquiring an additional 6,583 shares during the period. Natixis increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.36 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $148.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.85. The company has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. 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 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Stephens boosted their target price 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. Truist Financial boosted their price objective 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. Oppenheimer raised 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.33.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.