Centiva Capital LP Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $142.89 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.92. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $107.28 and a 1-year high of $158.45. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.81%.

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.