Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Cuts Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,739 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.7 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $149.05 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.00 and a fifty-two week high of $152.63. The company has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.29.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of The Ensign Group 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 owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $7,520,240. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Company 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.