Royal Bank of Canada Lowers Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• The Royal Bank of Canada reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. by 36.1% during the first quarter, resulting in ownership of 81,719 shares valued at $10,573,000.
• Analysts have increased price targets for The Ensign Group, with estimates ranging from $165.00 to $205.00, and an average rating of "Moderate Buy".
• The Ensign Group reported a net revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year, reaching $1.23 billion, and beat EPS expectations by $0.05 for their last earnings report.

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 36.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,719 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,228 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.14% of The Ensign Group worth $10,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report 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 report 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 report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $168.95 on Friday. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $157.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.55. 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 $9.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.66, a PEG ratio of 1.91 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock worth $2,201,175 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.

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