The Ensign Group, Inc. ENSG recently announced its acquisition of three skilled nursing facilities in Colorado, namely Boulder Canyon Health and Rehabilitation, Berthoud Care and Rehabilitation, and South Valley Post Acute Rehabilitation. The hospitals are located in Boulder, Berthoud and Denver in the state of Colorado, respectively.Effective Apr 1, 2021, these acquisitions will be subject to a long-term, triple net lease.This strategic move is in line with the company’s commitment to serve the Colorado region. The addition of these facilities is expected to result in better health outcomes of people residing in the areas. Moreover, the endeavor is rightly timed as the local communities are struggling with health woes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.With its latest purchases, Ensign Group now has a portfolio of 235 healthcare operations, 22 of which also include assisted living operations across 13 states. The company also owns 94 real estate assets.Acquisition StoryEnsign Group has been on an acquisition spree for skilled nursing facilities for many years now. It has a tradition of acquiring distressed healthcare operations that require a significant clinical, financial and cultural turnaround. The company has a track record of closing 208 acquisitions over a period of 10 years (2009-2019).Earlier this year, it bought three skilled nursing facilities and their operations in California as well as the operations of San Pedro Manor, a 150-bed skilled nursing facility located in San Antonio, TX.The company is also adding value to its real estate portfolio by improving the operating results in its owned operations and acquiring additional real-estate assets.Each buyout is consistently reinforcing the company’s proven expertise in acquiring real estate or leasing out post-acute care operations and evolving the same into market leaders. These buyouts also helped the company reach out to several U.S. states, thereby bolstering its national footprint. The latest step is a testament to the company’s efforts to strengthen its foothold in Colorado.All these initiatives have been helping the company bolster its healthcare portfolio over time. Management is eager to utilize opportunities for purchasing real estate and lease skilled nursing, assisted living and other healthcare-related businesses that are steadily performing well. This highlights the company’s intention to sustain this momentum. It also strives to provide necessary assistance to the struggling healthcare businesses across the United States.Zacks Rank and Price PerformanceShares of this currently Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company have surged 154.8% in a year compared with the industry’s rally of 146.4%.Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks in the medical space are Tenet Healthcare Corporation THC, HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA and Community Health Systems, Inc. CYH, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Tenet Healthcare, HCA Healthcare and Community Health have a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 199.09%, 58.5% and 120.8%, on average, respectively.The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of AllLast year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA): Free Stock Analysis Report The Ensign Group, Inc. (ENSG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research