The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Stock Holdings Lifted by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 515.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 13,774 additional shares and bringing its total to 16,446 shares worth about $2.87 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but constructive: recent rating changes included a downgrade from Zacks and an upgrade from Wall Street Zen, while the overall consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $216.75.
• The Ensign Group posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS expectations with $1.85 per share and reporting 18.4% revenue growth year over year; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.065 per share.

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 515.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,446 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,774 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 1,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 412 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. 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, Wall Street Zen upgraded The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $168.59 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $166.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.30. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.79 and a 52 week high of $218.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.69. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 6.89%.The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total transaction of $114,996.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the sale, the director owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,721.15. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 1,892 shares of company stock valued at $340,591 in the last quarter. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.