The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Owls Nest Partners IA LLC

Key Points

• Owls Nest Partners IA LLC cut its stake in The Ensign Group by 26% in the fourth quarter, selling 105,766 shares and leaving it with 300,296 shares worth about $52.3 million.
• The stock has a Moderate Buy consensus from analysts, with four Buy ratings and two Hold ratings, and a Street target price of $216.75.
• The Ensign Group recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $1.85 EPS versus $1.79 expected, while revenue rose 18.4% year over year; however, recent news also highlighted investigation-related concerns over possible securities-law and compliance issues.

Owls Nest Partners IA LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 26.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 300,296 shares of the company's stock after selling 105,766 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group accounts for approximately 14.5% of Owls Nest Partners IA LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Owls Nest Partners IA LLC owned 0.52% of The Ensign Group worth $52,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased 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 worth $795,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750,645 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 195.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company's stock worth $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $149.37 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $134.79 and a twelve month high of $218.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $179.92 and a 200-day moving average of $186.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.23%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total value of $137,655.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,152 shares in the company, valued at $4,356,190.80. This trade represents a 3.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the sale, the director owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,721.15. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: No meaningful positive company-specific catalyst was reported in the latest news flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or continued investigations into possible securities-law violations and are urging investors who lost money in ENSG to contact them about potential claims. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Another shareholder law firm said it is investigating ENSG after allegations that the company may have issued materially misleading business information. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A report attributed to Muddy Waters raised compliance concerns, and the stock dropped sharply on the news, with allegations that Ensign may have gamed CMS quality ratings and engaged in improper billing practices. Article Title

About The Ensign Group

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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