NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Sells 3,800 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• NorthCrest Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group by 37.8%, selling 3,800 shares in the second quarter, and now owns 6,253 shares worth approximately $939,000.
• Several hedge funds, including Cambridge Investment Research Advisors and KBC Group, have increased their stakes in The Ensign Group, reflecting a strong institutional interest where 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
• The Ensign Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, with a yield of 0.2%, set to be paid on October 31st to shareholders of record on September 30th.

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC cut its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 37.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,253 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,800 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,726 shares of the company's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,546.6% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 273,489 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,389,000 after acquiring an additional 256,880 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $6,623,000. First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.9% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 10,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of ENSG traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $164.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,102,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,425. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.07. 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 twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $174.98. The firm has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price 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. Stephens raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,779 shares of company stock worth $1,469,730. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.