HighTower Advisors LLC Cuts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 5.3%, selling 1,703 shares and owning approximately 30,390 shares after the sale, valued at $3,933,000.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for ENSG stock, with projections suggesting a target price of $171.00, reflecting positive sentiment towards future performance.
• The Ensign Group recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, yielding 0.1%, amid a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,390 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,703 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of The Ensign Group worth $3,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,429,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 53,755 shares of the company's stock worth $6,956,000 after buying an additional 4,872 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,597 shares of the company's stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company's stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 87.6% in the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie lowered their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.00.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG traded up $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $170.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 325,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,363. The company has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.98, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.04. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $173.62.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 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 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the sale, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.