Park Avenue Securities LLC Buys Shares of 12,929 The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC has acquired a new position in The Ensign Group, purchasing 12,929 shares valued at approximately $1,994,000 in the second quarter.
• CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares for about $1.24 million, reducing her position by 3.01%, while insiders have sold a total of 9,779 shares worth $1.47 million over the last ninety days.
• Analysts have recently upgraded The Ensign Group's stock, with UBS Group raising its target price from $195 to $205, contributing to a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,994,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 23.2% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company's stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,529 shares of the company's stock worth $4,727,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was 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 $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total transaction of $120,442.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,779 shares of company stock valued at $1,469,730 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $170.32 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $161.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.75. 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 capitalization of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.54%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.