KBC Group NV Has $249,000 Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

KBC Group NV lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,617 shares of the company’s stock after selling 889 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 872.4% in the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,644,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $16,902,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $603,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 317,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,979,000 after buying an additional 29,840 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.5%

ENSG stock opened at $178.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.94. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $193.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $176.69 and its 200-day moving average is $161.29.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total value of $5,116,803.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 56,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,206,681.51. This represents a 33.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.87, for a total transaction of $46,462.02. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,676,976.73. This trade represents a 2.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,034 shares of company stock worth $5,423,448. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. 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 lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.