World Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 151,187 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 151,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,744,000. World Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.26% of The Ensign Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $151,827,000. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.1% in the second quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 877,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,502,000 after buying an additional 18,412 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. 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. Oppenheimer upped 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. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $144.23 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.92, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $147.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.86. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 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.