The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,174 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,424 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $7,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its position 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 during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,512,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial upped their price target 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. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $142.42 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.51. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.95 and a 1-year high of $158.45. 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 company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

About The Ensign Group

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.