WCM Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

WCM Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 246,742 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,018 shares during the quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $37,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 114.0% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Stephens upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $190.00 price target on The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $177.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50-day moving average is $170.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.55. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $179.27.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.54%.

About The Ensign Group

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.