The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Short Interest Up 11.9% in December

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, an increase of 11.9% from the November 30th total of 2,180,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 552,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days. Currently, 4.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after buying an additional 78,570 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 314,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,522,000 after purchasing an additional 42,072 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $200,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $21,744,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens boosted 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. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $1.17 during trading on Monday, reaching $132.81. The stock had a trading volume of 143,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 369,992. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $145.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.98. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $110.71 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

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, 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 the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.05%.

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.