HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 1,105 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,476 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,105 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $4,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $318,000. DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 6,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 21.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $143.31 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.33. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $106.36 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a PEG ratio of 1.91 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.