Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Increases Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 286.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,615 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.2% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 183,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,736,000 after purchasing an additional 18,493 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 54,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,757,000 after buying an additional 4,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 19,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,358,000 after buying an additional 8,993 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Macquarie assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,057,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $143.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.00 and a 52-week high of $154.93. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.33. The company has a market capitalization of $8.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.96.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.