Baillie Gifford & Co. Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,055,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $151,827,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 1.84% of The Ensign Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $828,834,000 after purchasing an additional 39,695 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company's stock worth $163,577,000 after acquiring an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 877,211 shares of the company's stock worth $108,502,000 after purchasing an additional 18,412 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 59,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,862,000 after acquiring an additional 41,429 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG traded down $0.96 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $150.63. 119,843 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 379,265. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.33 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $149.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.95. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given 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 yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.81%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,788,820. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,943,620 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price 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. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

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.