The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG decreased its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.8%, owning 27,119 shares valued at approximately $3.5 million after selling 1,968 shares in the first quarter.
• The Ensign Group received multiple analysts' upgrades, with UBS raising its target price to $195.00 and the stock currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $171.00.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0625, resulting in an annualized yield of only 0.1%, alongside a reported 18.5% year-over-year revenue increase for the last quarter.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,119 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,968 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 460.7% in the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 13,771 shares of the company's stock worth $1,830,000 after acquiring an additional 11,315 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 49,009 shares of the company's stock worth $6,511,000 after acquiring an additional 12,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $137,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ENSG shares. 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 research report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total value of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.82 during trading on Friday, hitting $171.78. The stock had a trading volume of 407,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 384,783. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $173.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.05.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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