Axiom Investors LLC DE Sells 53,963 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Axiom Investors LLC DE reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 34.4%, selling 53,963 shares, and now holds a total of 102,881 shares valued at approximately $13.3 million.
• Insiders have sold a total of 14,498 shares worth about $2.2 million in the last quarter, with CFO Suzanne D. Snapper and VP Beverly B. Wittekind decreasing their positions by 3.01% and 10.87%, respectively.
• Several analyst firms have raised their price targets for The Ensign Group, with the average consensus target now at $172.67, indicating a moderately bullish outlook.

Axiom Investors LLC DE trimmed its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 34.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 114.0% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake 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 in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at $38,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock worth $2,201,175. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective 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 increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $173.99 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $174.98. The firm has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of 31.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.93. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $156.29 and a 200-day moving average of $143.62.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

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.

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