Cetera Investment Advisers Boosts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,968 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in The Ensign Group by 294.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 21.5% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 3,737 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in The Ensign Group by 3.7% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 36,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $706,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,240. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 3,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total value of $422,052.81. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,805,643.51. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $7,520,240. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,217 shares of company stock worth $2,475,673 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $147.24 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $146.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.61. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.69 and a 12-month high of $154.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 38.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer increased 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. Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

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.