Pathstone Holdings LLC Raises Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,772 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $4,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $146.36 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.64. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on 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, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This represents a 9.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.