The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Quantbot Technologies LP

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP reduced its position in The Ensign Group by 38.4%, selling 12,612 shares, which brings its total holdings to 20,253 shares valued at $2,621,000.
• Institutional investors own a significant 96.12% of The Ensign Group's stock, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• The Ensign Group recently reported earnings of $1.59 per share, surpassing analysts' estimates and achieving a revenue of $1.23 billion, reflecting an 18.5% increase year-over-year.

Quantbot Technologies LP lessened its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 38.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,612 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 683,650 shares of the company's stock worth $88,464,000 after purchasing an additional 102,089 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100,690 shares of the company's stock worth $13,029,000 after buying an additional 11,378 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 941,274 shares of the company's stock worth $121,801,000 after buying an additional 3,344 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 78,715 shares of the company's stock worth $10,186,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,932 shares of the company's stock worth $2,579,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the 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 directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Truist Financial upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their target price on 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.00.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $170.24. The stock had a trading volume of 47,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 427,288. The firm's 50 day moving average is $153.00 and its 200 day moving average is $140.84. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $173.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.02.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The firm'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. Equities research 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

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.