The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Oak Associates Ltd. OH

Key Points

• Oak Associates Ltd. OH reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 24.5%, selling 4,895 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 15,086 shares valued at approximately $1.95 million.
• In the first quarter, several institutional investors increased their positions in The Ensign Group, notably American Century Companies Inc. which raised its stake by an astounding 1,235.5%.
• The Ensign Group reported a revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year, with quarterly earnings of $1.59 EPS, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.54 EPS.

Oak Associates Ltd. OH lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 24.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,086 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,895 shares during the period. Oak Associates Ltd. OH's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,235.5% in the 1st 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 335,964 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $32,429,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth about $22,777,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, 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 value of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $172.74. 100,671 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,086. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $174.98. The business has a 50-day moving average of $154.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.35. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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 analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.0625 dividend. 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 currently 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.