The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Key Points

• Comerica Bank reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.7%, now holding 31,327 shares valued at approximately $4 million.
• Several other institutions increased their holdings in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter, with Tudor Investment Corp lifting its position by 460.7%.
• The Ensign Group recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.59 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.54, and set its FY 2025 EPS guidance between $6.340 and $6.460.

Comerica Bank lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 25.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,327 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,862 shares during the period. Comerica Bank owned 0.05% of The Ensign Group worth $4,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,529 shares of the company's stock worth $4,727,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $343,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the 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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8%

ENSG stock traded up $1.38 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $173.03. 141,538 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 424,980. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $174.98. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.98 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.76.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion during 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 company's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several research reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

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.