Edgestream Partners L.P. Trims Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Edgestream Partners L.P. lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,977 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,246 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned 0.07% of The Ensign Group worth $5,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Stephens raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $146.21 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.83.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

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.