The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 73,024 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,740 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.13% of The Ensign Group worth $10,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pitcairn Co. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The trade was 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 link. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,118 shares of company stock worth $1,943,620 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.32 on Wednesday, reaching $148.79. 371,729 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 380,029. 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 $104.09 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $149.62 and a 200-day moving average of $136.64. The firm has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. 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 payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.