The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG is Gagnon Securities LLC's 2nd Largest Position

Key Points

• Gagnon Securities LLC has reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.6%, now holding approximately 6.5% of its portfolio in the company.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for The Ensign Group, with an average price target of $172.67 and multiple upgrades from firms like Truist Financial and UBS Group.
• The Ensign Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, which represents an annualized yield of 0.1%, set to be paid on October 31st.

Gagnon Securities LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 208,994 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,134 shares during the period. The Ensign Group comprises about 6.5% of Gagnon Securities LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Gagnon Securities LLC owned 0.36% of The Ensign Group worth $32,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 109.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 822 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $343,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on 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 lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $172.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total transaction of $120,442.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $176.50 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $179.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $167.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.73. 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 firm has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business'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 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

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