The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 105.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,691 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 34,172 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $9,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at $151,827,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $18,843,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $14,370,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $9,565,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,693,000 after buying an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $144.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $147.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.47. The company has a market capitalization of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.98, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

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.