Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 17.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,642 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,428 shares during the quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth approximately $1,522,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,090 shares of the company's stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded down $0.66 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $154.33. 302,765 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,377. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $96.29 and a one year high of $158.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.96. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.74.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price 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. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,118 shares of company stock worth $2,363,620. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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.