The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Invesco Ltd.

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. sold 87,835 shares of The Ensign Group, reducing its stake by 29.1%, with the firm now holding approximately 0.37% of the company valued at $27.69 million.
• The Ensign Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, bringing its annualized dividend yield to 0.1%.
• Analysts have a positive outlook on The Ensign Group, with price targets ranging from $156.00 to $195.00 and five analysts giving the stock a "Buy" rating.

Invesco Ltd. lowered its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 29.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 213,994 shares of the company's stock after selling 87,835 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.37% of The Ensign Group worth $27,691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,597 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.9% during the first quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 87.6% during the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the first quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 8,264 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 243.1% during the first quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 14,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 9,968 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $2.48 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $169.96. 283,880 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 441,168. The firm has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.02. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $173.62. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $153.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.84.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The company'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. Equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie cut their price target on shares of 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, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total value of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733 over the last quarter. Corporate 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.