Axiom Investors LLC DE Lowers 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 decreased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 34.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and 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 about 0.18% of The Ensign Group worth $13,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 39.0% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 17.9% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $172.60. The stock had a trading volume of 351,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 428,247. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $173.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.02. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $153.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.26.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Macquarie reduced their price target 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 upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.00.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.