Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 5,060 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 74,366 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,060 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $10,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,693,000 after buying an additional 59,933 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 245,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,283,000 after acquiring an additional 51,367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,167,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $148.79 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.09 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $149.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.03, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over 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 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.