MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 1,599 Shares of 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 reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,939 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,599 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $8,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.5%

ENSG traded down $0.82 on Monday, reaching $171.78. 407,261 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 384,783. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $173.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.35. The company has a market cap of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. 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 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 company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 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 currently 4.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group reissued 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average 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.