The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Acquired by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 25.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 59,877 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,114 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.10% of The Ensign Group worth $8,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company's stock worth $163,577,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 2.1% during the second quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 877,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,502,000 after acquiring an additional 18,412 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 800,606 shares of the company's stock worth $115,143,000 after purchasing an additional 23,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $70,693,000 after acquiring an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded up $0.23 on Friday, reaching $146.21. The company had a trading volume of 176,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 376,472. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $148.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.83.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend 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 5.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens increased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.