MetLife Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. by 2.5% during the first quarter, selling 1,599 shares and now holding 62,939 shares valued at approximately $8.14 million.
• The Ensign Group recently reported strong quarterly earnings with an EPS of $1.59, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.05, and a net margin of 6.99%.
• The company's dividend yield has been set at 0.1%, following a quarterly dividend payment of $0.0625 per share, reflecting a conservative payout ratio of 4.54%.

MetLife Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,939 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,599 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $8,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,274,724.96. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $170.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $153.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.04. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $173.62. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie reduced their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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 research note on Thursday, August 14th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, 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 research note on Monday, July 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.00.

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.

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