Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 28.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,550 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $798,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.0% during the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 69,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,686,000 after purchasing an additional 14,769 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 12,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $275,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at about $197,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.20.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’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 $8,057,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,118 shares of company stock worth $1,943,620. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.0 %

ENSG opened at $153.37 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.82 and a 200 day moving average of $135.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.03 and a 12 month high of $158.22. The company has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.