Victory Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 26.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 245,325 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 51,367 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.43% of The Ensign Group worth $35,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $151,827,000. F M Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth approximately $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in 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 valued at $70,693,000 after buying an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth approximately $5,167,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 15.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,862,000 after acquiring an additional 41,429 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This represents a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 11,118 shares of company stock worth $1,660,200 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $143.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $149.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.00. The firm has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.