Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 2,815 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 14.5%, selling 2,815 shares and now holding 16,611 shares worth approximately $2.56 million.
• The Ensign Group reported a net margin of 6.99% for its recent quarter, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.59, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Analysts have increased their price targets for The Ensign Group, with UBS raising it to $205.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating, while the consensus rating for the stock remains a "Moderate Buy."

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,611 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,815 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crow s Nest Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $56,936,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,235.5% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 468,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,634,000 after buying an additional 433,489 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,770,000 after buying an additional 335,964 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,546.6% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 273,489 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,389,000 after buying an additional 256,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,429,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial raised 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. UBS Group raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Stephens raised 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $2.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,102,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,745. 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 firm has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $159.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.73.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,779 shares of company stock worth $1,469,730. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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.