The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $163,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 7,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 79,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,824,000 after buying an additional 10,113 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 80.1% during the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 53,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,452,000 after buying an additional 23,897 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 111.5% during the 2nd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 2,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 68,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,515,000 after buying an additional 6,550 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. 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 research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Macquarie started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $150.86 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $144.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.24. The stock has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.70, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $90.00 and a 1-year high of $154.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

The Ensign Group 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.