Bank of New York Mellon Corp Has $87.45 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, but still held 501,983 shares worth about $87.4 million at quarter-end.
• The stock has been under pressure, falling 8.2% in the latest session, as investors react to a Hunterbrook Media short report alleging understaffing and poor care practices, along with related securities-fraud and class-action investigations.
• Despite the selloff, The Ensign Group recently beat earnings estimates with Q1 EPS of $1.85 and raised full-year guidance to $7.48–$7.62 EPS; analysts still have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 501,983 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,548 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.87% of The Ensign Group worth $87,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,688,000 after buying an additional 339,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 8.2%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $156.42 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $134.79 and a one year high of $218.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock's 50-day moving average is $183.90 and its 200 day moving average is $187.62. The firm has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.68.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 6.89%.The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.23%.

More The Ensign Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ensign’s recent operating history had been solid, with the company previously reporting higher revenue and EPS growth and raising full-year guidance, which suggests the selloff is being driven more by new allegations than by a deterioration in fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation-focused coverage also appeared, with one article reviewing Ensign’s value after new skilled nursing and memory care acquisitions, but this appears secondary to the market’s reaction to the short report.
• Negative Sentiment: Hunterbrook Media published a short report alleging understaffing, poor care quality, and questionable reporting practices in Ensign’s skilled nursing operations, raising reputational and regulatory-risk concerns. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen Law Firm, Frank R. Cruz, and Block & Leviton, announced securities-fraud and class-action investigations tied to the Hunterbrook allegations, which adds legal overhang and can pressure the stock further. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broker and market commentary indicates investors are de-risking the name amid the allegations, and the stock has declined sharply on unusually heavy trading volume.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,721.15. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock worth $478,246. 4.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $222.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered The Ensign Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $216.75.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company's model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.

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