American Century Companies Inc. Raises Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,839 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,550 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of The Ensign Group worth $8,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 310,182 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,031,000 after purchasing an additional 221,838 shares during the last quarter. F M Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $14,370,000. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 142.8% during the fourth quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 187,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,022,000 after buying an additional 110,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $151.73 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. 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 50-day moving average price of $144.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.48. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.00 and a 12-month high of $154.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Truist Financial upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Macquarie initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.50.

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.