Strs Ohio Buys New Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Strs Ohio purchased 6,700 shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. valued at approximately $867,000, highlighting increased institutional interest in the company.
• The Ensign Group reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.54, alongside a revenue of $1.23 billion.
• Analysts are optimistic about The Ensign Group, with five analysts rating it as a Buy and an average price target of $172.67.

Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 114.0% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total transaction of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,779 shares of company stock worth $1,469,730. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,102,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,425. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $174.98. The company has a market capitalization of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $160.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.07.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The business's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Company 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.