California Public Employees Retirement System Has $33.12 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

California Public Employees Retirement System lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 214,719 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,715 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $33,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 114.0% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $173.58 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $193.99. The company has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.05, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $180.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.49. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. 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 4.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total transaction of $5,116,803.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 56,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,206,681.51. The trade was a 33.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 5,899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 51,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,071,554.50. This trade represents a 10.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 39,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,054,077. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.