Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $992,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of 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 company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 13,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,943,620 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 6.8 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded down $10.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $143.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,953,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,725. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.25 and a 1-year high of $158.45. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.49.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.