Eagle Asset Management Inc. Sells 374 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 164,423 shares of the company’s stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $24,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related 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 directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ENSG. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective 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. Stephens raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $146.36 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year high of $158.45. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.64. The stock has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its 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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS 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. Investors 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 yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.