ProShare Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

ProShare Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,063 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,897 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $7,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,862,000 after purchasing an additional 41,429 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in The Ensign Group by 17.2% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 45,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,594,000 after purchasing an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 4,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $152.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.06, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.00 and a twelve month 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.68.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.32%.

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.