The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Purchased by Parkside Financial Bank & Trust

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,032 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,962,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% in the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 15,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,966,000 after buying an additional 725 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 24.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 77,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,619,000 after acquiring an additional 15,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 72 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $149.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $139.73 and a 200-day moving average of $127.29. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.00 and a 52-week high of $152.63. The stock has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.