Pitcairn Co. Has $758,000 Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Pitcairn Co. lessened its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 14.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,269 shares of the company’s stock after selling 861 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $758,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 164.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,612,000 after buying an additional 12,114 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 78.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 800,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,143,000 after acquiring an additional 23,381 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. The trade was 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. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.36 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $148.76 and its 200-day moving average is $138.14. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

The Ensign Group Profile

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.