JLB & Associates Inc. Purchases Shares of 72,090 The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

JLB & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 72,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,556,000. The Ensign Group accounts for 1.5% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. JLB & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of The Ensign Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 54,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,465,000 after acquiring an additional 18,699 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 594.9% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 24,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,270,000 after acquiring an additional 20,983 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth about $5,224,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth about $134,660,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 126,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,982,000 after purchasing an additional 17,225 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $182.49 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.58 and a twelve month high of $218.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $169.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.31. The firm has a market cap of $10.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.68.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 6.90%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.59 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the sale, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. The trade was a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total transaction of $67,055.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at $1,625,583.18. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $228.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.25.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.