Axiom Investors LLC DE Trims Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Axiom Investors LLC DE has reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 34.4%, now holding 102,881 shares valued at approximately $13.31 million.
• The Ensign Group reported earnings of $1.59 per share for its latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.54, with revenue reaching $1.23 billion, an 18.5% year-over-year increase.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.1%.

Axiom Investors LLC DE reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 34.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,881 shares of the company's stock after selling 53,963 shares during the quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE owned 0.18% of The Ensign Group worth $13,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Mariner LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 9,149 shares of the company's stock worth $1,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,271 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company's stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 75,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,019,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 359.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 41,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,521,000 after purchasing an additional 32,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total value of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.5%

ENSG stock traded down $0.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $171.67. 180,806 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,596. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a PE ratio of 31.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.02. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $173.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $153.98 and a 200-day moving average of $141.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The business's revenue 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 predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Macquarie reduced their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.00.

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.