Pacer Advisors Inc. Makes New $1.10 Million Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,099,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,102,000 after acquiring an additional 6,931 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company's stock worth $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company's stock worth $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,595,000 after buying an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG traded down $12.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $135.91. 1,098,962 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 452,340. The stock has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $138.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.79. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

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.