The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Gagnon Securities LLC

Gagnon Securities LLC lessened its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 183,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,964 shares during the period. The Ensign Group accounts for 6.3% of Gagnon Securities LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Gagnon Securities LLC owned about 0.32% of The Ensign Group worth $31,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 33.4% during 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 during the period. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $970,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $594,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 378.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,861,000 after buying an additional 17,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 96.2% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,971,000 after buying an additional 1,382,035 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 5,899 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.30, for a total value of $1,045,892.70. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,165 shares in the company, valued at $9,071,554.50. The trade was a 10.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 8,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.48, for a total value of $1,474,032.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,752,058.92. The trade was a 20.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,634 shares of company stock worth $9,079,891. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $170.06 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $193.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $177.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 EPS. The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

The Ensign Group 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.