Aigen Investment Management LP Takes $434,000 Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $434,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $151,827,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,693,000 after purchasing an additional 59,933 shares in the last quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $5,167,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,862,000 after purchasing an additional 41,429 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their price target 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 upped 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. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” 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 research note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $145.68 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.70. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.95. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 11,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,660,200 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.