Gagnon Securities LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Gagnon Securities LLC reduced its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,964 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group accounts for approximately 6.3% of Gagnon Securities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $31,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 638.7% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,009.5% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 233 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,128.6% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 872.4% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $170.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.42, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.86. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $193.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $177.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.98.

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

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.59, for a total transaction of $121,513.00. Following the sale, the director owned 23,652 shares in the company, valued at $4,105,750.68. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 51,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,209,700. This represents a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 50,634 shares of company stock worth $9,079,891 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ENSG. Truist Financial increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.40.

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.