PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Sells 1,433 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lowered its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 31.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,155 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,433 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% in the first quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 8,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 243.1% during the first quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 14,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 9,968 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 7.9% during the first quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 27,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at about $1,199,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $166.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.51. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $166.79. The company has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on ENSG. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie cut their price target on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.