Pacer Advisors Inc. Invests $1.66 Million in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 9,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,656,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $105,400,000. Crow s Nest Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $56,936,000. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,546.6% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 273,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,389,000 after purchasing an additional 256,880 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 61.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 492,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,898,000 after purchasing an additional 187,262 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total value of $5,116,803.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 56,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,206,681.51. This represents a 33.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 5,899 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.30, for a total value of $1,045,892.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 51,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,071,554.50. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 49,542 shares of company stock worth $8,888,109. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ENSG. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 price objective (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.40.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $174.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $180.18 and a 200 day moving average of $168.39. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $193.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.47%.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company’s model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.