NewEdge Advisors LLC Purchases 4,272 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 18.7%, acquiring an additional 4,272 shares, bringing their total holdings to 27,090 shares valued at $3,505,000.
• Insider selling activity included CFO Suzanne D. Snapper selling 8,379 shares, and VP Beverly B. Wittekind selling 4,719 shares, resulting in significant decreases in their respective ownership percentages.
• Analysts have issued favorable ratings on The Ensign Group, with target prices increased by firms such as UBS Group and Truist Financial, reflecting a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target price of $172.67.

NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 18.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,090 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,272 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 80,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,632,000 after buying an additional 9,433 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,207,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 48,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,483,000 after buying an additional 15,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 101.9% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 3,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,175 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of ENSG traded down $0.96 on Friday, reaching $167.99. 214,153 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 333,743. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $158.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.78. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $174.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid 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 4.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price 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 boosted their target price 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 boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $172.67.

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.