Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Sells 43,538 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (ENSG) by 25.4%, owning 127,901 shares after selling 43,538 shares in the first quarter.
• The Ensign Group reported a Q2 EPS of $1.59, surpassing analysts' estimates, and anticipated a FY 2025 guidance of 6.340-6.460 EPS.
• In recent analyst updates, Truist Financial and Stephens raised their price targets on ENSG to $165.00 and $170.00, respectively, while UBS Group set a new target of $195.00.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 25.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 127,901 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,538 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.22% of The Ensign Group worth $16,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $4,727,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.5%

ENSG stock traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $171.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 294,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 365,560. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $174.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.15, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ENSG. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. 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. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

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.