Dakota Wealth Management Lowers Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dakota Wealth Management trimmed its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,056 shares of the company’s stock after selling 542 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at about $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Stephens upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $151.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.56 and a 52-week high of $156.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $148.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 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 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,520,240. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,240. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.