The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG is Van Berkom & Associates Inc.'s 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• Van Berkom & Associates trimmed its Ensign Group stake by 17.2% in Q1, but the position still represented about 3.5% of its portfolio and remained its 4th largest holding.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 96.12% of Ensign Group shares. Several firms either added to or initiated positions, including Baillie Gifford, Norges Bank, and Wasatch Advisors.
• Ensign Group reported solid results, beating EPS expectations with $1.85 per share and posting 18.4% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with a $213.50 price target, while the stock recently traded at $171.28.

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. cut its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 17.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 520,197 shares of the company's stock after selling 107,831 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group comprises approximately 3.5% of Van Berkom & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. owned about 0.89% of The Ensign Group worth $104,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,645 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $78,840,000. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the second 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 period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 264.9% during the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 259,917 shares of the company's stock worth $52,373,000 after purchasing an additional 188,679 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $215.00 to $202.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 14th. Zacks Research cut The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $213.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $171.28 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.69. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $134.79 and a 12-month high of $218.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $165.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $184.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.23%.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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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