Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $10.50 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 73,024 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,740 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $10,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $792,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 294.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,203,000 after buying an additional 7,262 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in The Ensign Group by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,486,000 after buying an additional 6,583 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,500,000. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 54,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,757,000 after buying an additional 4,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $149.11 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $8.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $102.33 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,943,620. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Company 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.