JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 72,923 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 433,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 72,923 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $74,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 161,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,956,000 after acquiring an additional 14,590 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 383 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.4% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 253,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,137,000 after purchasing an additional 10,771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,128.6% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 146 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.31, for a total value of $26,033.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,620,302.97. This trade represents a 1.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 4,573 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.11, for a total value of $896,811.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 272,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,516,261.79. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,473 shares of company stock worth $5,147,297. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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 report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $212.39 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $216.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $185.28 and a 200 day moving average of $179.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.065 dividend. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.45%.

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.