The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Short Interest Update

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,990,000 shares, a decrease of 15.7% from the October 15th total of 2,360,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 562,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. The trade was a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 11,118 shares of company stock worth $1,660,200 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 73,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,109,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.0% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 24,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,021,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 20.4% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 39,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $448,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $144.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 38,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,110. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.13. The Ensign Group 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 current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $8.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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 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 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.