Crow s Nest Holdings LP Acquires New Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Crow s Nest Holdings LP invested approximately $56.94 million in The Ensign Group, acquiring 440,000 shares, which constitutes about 14.1% of their investment portfolio.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in The Ensign Group during the first quarter, including a 1,235.5% increase by American Century Companies Inc.
• The company's recent earnings report showed $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, along with an 18.5% year-over-year revenue growth.

Crow s Nest Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 440,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,936,000. The Ensign Group comprises about 14.1% of Crow s Nest Holdings LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Crow s Nest Holdings LP owned 0.77% of The Ensign Group as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 65.7% during the first quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 37,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,821,000 after buying an additional 14,772 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in The Ensign Group by 25.0% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,932 shares of the company's stock worth $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 2,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at $905,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.1%

ENSG traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $174.12. 414,404 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 425,427. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $156.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a PE ratio of 31.60, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $174.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, sell-side 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ENSG. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial upped 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $172.67.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,175. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group 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.