Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Boosts Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,903 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Alliance grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 87.2% during the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 49,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,088,000 after purchasing an additional 22,924 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,500,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,577,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.5% in the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 7,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 2.3 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $144.11 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.09. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.00 and a 52-week high of $154.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,057,400. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,620.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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 company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.50.

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.