Graham Capital Management L.P. Raises Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 65.7%, acquiring an additional 14,772 shares, bringing their total to 37,255 shares valued at approximately $4.82 million.
• The Ensign Group recently reported Q2 earnings of $1.59 EPS, exceeding estimates, with revenue up 18.5% year-over-year, totaling $1.23 billion.
• Insider trading activity included CFO Suzanne D. Snapper selling 8,379 shares at $148.21 each, resulting in a 3.01% reduction of her hold in the company.

Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 65.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,255 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,772 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. owned 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $4,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 1,235.5% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 468,575 shares of the company's stock worth $60,634,000 after buying an additional 433,489 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company's stock worth $43,770,000 after acquiring an additional 335,964 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,429,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,777,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $172.81. The stock had a trading volume of 140,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,149. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.07. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $174.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,175. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.