Barclays PLC Acquires 77,514 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Barclays PLC increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 260.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 107,288 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 77,514 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.19% of The Ensign Group worth $15,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective 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 given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $142.36. The stock had a trading volume of 192,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 371,719. The company has a 50-day moving average of $147.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.00. 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 fifty-two week low of $110.29 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS 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 Ensign Group's revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group 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.