ProShare Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC cut its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 76,348 shares and ending with 222,786 shares valued at about $38.8 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 96.12% of the company’s stock. Several firms, including Baillie Gifford and Victory Capital, increased their positions significantly.
• The Ensign Group reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.85 to beat estimates and revenue growth of 18.4% year over year, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $216.75.

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 25.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 222,786 shares of the company's stock after selling 76,348 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.38% of The Ensign Group worth $38,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company's stock worth $795,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company's stock worth $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company's stock worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 135,173.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 150,154 shares of the company's stock worth $26,157,000 after purchasing an additional 150,043 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $175.89 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.79 and a fifty-two week high of $218.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $194.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.80. The company has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 28.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.73.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.23, for a total transaction of $105,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,891,129.17. The trade was a 1.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,721.15. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 3,242 shares of company stock valued at $648,724 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company's model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.

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