Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 725 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,897 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 725 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,240. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $151.59 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.00 and a 52-week high of $152.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a PE ratio of 39.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Macquarie started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

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.