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

Pitcairn Co. cut its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund 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 SEC filing.

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

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $146.36 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $148.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.14. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company 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 Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

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.