Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,764 shares of the company’s stock after selling 212 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth $34,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 6.8 %

ENSG opened at $143.00 on Thursday. 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 $101.25 and a one year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.54.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ENSG. Truist Financial boosted their target price 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. Stephens boosted 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. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $507,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,788,820. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,118 shares of company stock worth $1,943,620 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.