Handelsbanken Fonder AB Cuts Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 24.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,090,000 after purchasing an additional 11,496 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth about $2,205,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.5% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 27,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,557,000 after buying an additional 3,894 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $594,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $299,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $186.96 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $178.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $163.14.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $126,448.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,393.28. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $397,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,209,700. This represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 39,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,045,530 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 price target (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.40.

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.