Bard Associates Inc. Has $13.28 Million Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bard Associates Inc. reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 92,269 shares of the company’s stock after selling 272 shares during the period. The Ensign Group accounts for 4.5% of Bard Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Bard Associates Inc. owned about 0.16% of The Ensign Group worth $13,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at about $151,827,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,693,000 after purchasing an additional 59,933 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 245,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,283,000 after purchasing an additional 51,367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $5,167,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The trade was a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,660,200. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $145.68 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $104.18 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $8.35 billion, a PE ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.70.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted 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. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

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.