Cetera Investment Advisers Purchases 4,145 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 17.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,284 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,145 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,660,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 39.0% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 109.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $154.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.02. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $138.22. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $158.45.

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

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One investment 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 Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.67.

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.