The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Holdings Increased by De Lisle Partners LLP

Key Points

• De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.9%, acquiring an additional 2,000 shares, bringing its total holdings to 27,189 shares valued at approximately $3.52 million.
• The Ensign Group's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $1.59 EPS against a consensus estimate of $1.54, with revenues rising by 18.5% year-over-year to $1.23 billion.
• The firm announced a dividend cut, with a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share and an annualized yield of 0.17%, reflecting a payout ratio of 4.54%.

De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 7.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,189 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 23.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company's stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 10.7% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,529 shares of the company's stock worth $4,727,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $343,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.2%

ENSG stock traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $151.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 555,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,844. 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 $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Truist Financial set a $165.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Macquarie dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $167.67.

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.