The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Short Interest Down 31.4% in October

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, a decrease of 31.4% from the September 30th total of 3,440,000 shares. Currently, 4.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 533,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded up $3.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $152.82. 500,733 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 920,589. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $92.69 and a twelve month high of $155.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 value of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,788,820. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $828,834,000 after acquiring an additional 39,695 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings 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 valued at $163,577,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $108,502,000 after purchasing an additional 18,412 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company's stock worth $70,693,000 after purchasing an additional 59,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company's stock worth $37,862,000 after purchasing an additional 41,429 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $133.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.80.

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.