Public Sector Pension Investment Board Boosts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 124,223 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,008 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $15,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $151.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.48. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.00 and a 12-month high of $154.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,240. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.