Bank of Montreal Can Takes $3.77 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 39,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,773,000. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.07% of The Ensign Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wasatch Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors Inc. now owns 6,409,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $576,893,000 after purchasing an additional 288,585 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,307,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,423,000 after acquiring an additional 134,749 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 5,293,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $505,771,000 after acquiring an additional 238,051 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,890,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,736,000 after acquiring an additional 76,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverbridge Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,431,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,621,000 after acquiring an additional 26,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, September 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $380,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,625 shares in the company, valued at $3,194,375. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $380,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,625 shares in the company, valued at $3,194,375. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chad Keetch sold 11,155 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.60, for a total transaction of $1,122,193.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,191 shares in the company, valued at $8,670,814.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 24,015 shares of company stock worth $2,375,002. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $102.00 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.50 and a 12-month high of $104.04. The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $95.46 and its 200-day moving average is $94.34.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.97% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The company had revenue of $940.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $938.95 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.36 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 Tuesday, October 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.058 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 28th. This represents a $0.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.23%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.30%.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services, as well as other ancillary services. It operates through Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. 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.