Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Sells 2,200 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 28.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 The Ensign Group by 11.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,693,000 after purchasing an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $5,167,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,862,000 after purchasing an additional 41,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,834,000 after buying an additional 39,695 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,788,820. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,118 shares of company stock worth $1,943,620. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. 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. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $153.37 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.03 and a 1 year high of $158.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $149.82 and a 200 day moving average of $135.49. The company has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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