Fox Run Management L.L.C. Decreases Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Fox Run Management L.L.C. has reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 50.7% during the 1st quarter, bringing its holdings to 5,077 shares valued at $657,000.
• Hedge fund activity surrounding The Ensign Group is significant, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its holdings by 14,683.7% and acquiring over 338,000 shares valued at approximately $43.8 million in the same period.
• The Ensign Group reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.59, exceeding estimates, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 18.5% to $1.23 billion.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. decreased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 50.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,077 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,228 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $657,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business'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 owned 27,852 shares in the company, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Stephens raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie cut their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.00.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $4.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $173.38. 103,530 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 427,569. The company has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.02. The firm's fifty day moving average is $152.23 and its 200 day moving average is $140.40. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $173.62. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

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.