The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases Shares of 39,724 The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 39,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,368,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.07% of The Ensign Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 1,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in The Ensign Group by 0.4% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 14,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $172.98 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.11. The company has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.58 and a fifty-two week high of $218.00.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

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

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.