Pitcairn Co. Grows Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Pitcairn Co. boosted its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,684 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $50,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,126.8% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 333.1% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.26, for a total value of $236,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,577,365. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,620.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,968 shares of company stock worth $1,714,703 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Macquarie started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock traded down $0.43 on Thursday, hitting $136.17. 609,861 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 295,940. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.79 and a 1-year high of $142.01. The stock has a market cap of $7.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $124.29 and a 200-day moving average of $121.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. On average, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.