GSA Capital Partners LLP Sells 344 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

GSA Capital Partners LLP trimmed its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,280 shares of the company’s stock after selling 344 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,834,000 after buying an additional 39,695 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.1% in the second quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 877,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,502,000 after acquiring an additional 18,412 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,693,000 after buying an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 15.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,862,000 after acquiring an additional 41,429 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This represents a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,660,200. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $143.49 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $149.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.13.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.