Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 1,592 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,592 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after acquiring an additional 310,182 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,031,000 after acquiring an additional 221,838 shares in the last quarter. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $14,370,000. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 142.8% during the 4th quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 187,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,022,000 after purchasing an additional 110,177 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Macquarie started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.7 %

ENSG stock opened at $151.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $140.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.00 and a 12 month high of $152.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

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

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.