The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires 34,172 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 105.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 66,691 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,172 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.12% of The Ensign Group worth $9,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,512,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ ENSG traded up $1.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $145.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 273,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 375,581. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick 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 fifty day simple moving average of $147.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.51. The stock has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. The company's revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Stephens upped 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 report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group 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.