Swiss National Bank Lowers Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Swiss National Bank reduced its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 109,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $16,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,090,000 after buying an additional 11,496 shares during the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $970,000. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $2,205,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 16.5% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 27,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $594,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price objective (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.40.

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 dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $126,448.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,393.28. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total transaction of $5,116,803.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 56,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,206,681.51. The trade was a 33.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 39,142 shares of company stock worth $7,045,530 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $186.96 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $193.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.93, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $178.74 and its 200 day moving average is $163.14.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.47%.

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.