Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. by 61.4% during the first quarter, now holding 3,190 shares valued at approximately $413,000.
• Several institutional investors, including LPL Financial LLC and Franklin Resources Inc., significantly increased their holdings in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter, indicating strong institutional interest with 96.12% of the stock owned by such investors.
• Analysts have a generally positive outlook on The Ensign Group, with price targets ranging between $156.00 and $170.00, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 61.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,190 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,084 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 28,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,782,000 after buying an additional 9,230 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 415,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,257,000 after buying an additional 36,294 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 8,872 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 1,253 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,467,000 after buying an additional 102,782 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 181.6% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 63,026 shares of the company's stock worth $8,374,000 after purchasing an additional 40,648 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie dropped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $167.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3%

ENSG traded up $0.45 on Wednesday, hitting $158.37. The company had a trading volume of 154,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,540. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $159.47. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.02.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

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.