25,463 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Bought by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 25,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,662,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 595.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,553,000 after acquiring an additional 17,573 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.0% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 757 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 37.5% during the second quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 3,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 294.7% during the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,203,000 after buying an additional 7,262 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $144.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $147.87 and its 200-day moving average is $139.47. 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 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, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors 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 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.