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

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.4% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 941,274 shares of the company's stock worth $121,801,000 after acquiring an additional 3,344 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.1% in the first quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 800,108 shares of the company's stock worth $103,534,000 after acquiring an additional 99,147 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 683,650 shares of the company's stock worth $88,464,000 after acquiring an additional 102,089 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,235.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 468,575 shares of the company's stock worth $60,634,000 after acquiring an additional 433,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crow s Nest Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth $56,936,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.29. 1,102,339 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 330,425. The company has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $174.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $160.10 and a 200 day moving average of $145.97.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 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 currently 4.54%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 9,779 shares of company stock worth $1,469,730. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Truist Financial upped 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. Finally, Stephens upped 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $172.67.

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.