VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Invests $1.31 Million in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 8,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,309,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Wyoming lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 13,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,760,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $184.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $10.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $185.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $172.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.34.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $190.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.83.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.