Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Purchases 20,772 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 364,633 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,772 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.64% of The Ensign Group worth $52,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.8% during the second 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 last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,740,000 after acquiring an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $151,827,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 800,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,143,000 after purchasing an additional 23,381 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $1.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.34. 270,545 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,491. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $148.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.33.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The company's revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. Truist Financial boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective 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. Stephens boosted their target price 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, UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.