MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $5.67 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 23.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 39,419 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,400 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $5,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 595.9% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after buying an additional 17,573 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.0% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 3,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew 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 purchasing an additional 7,262 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.83. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 5.81%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Stephens increased their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer raised 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. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

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.