The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Trexquant Investment LP

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP decreased its shareholding in The Ensign Group by 2.7%, owning 61,336 shares valued at approximately $7.9 million
• The Ensign Group reported a strong quarterly earnings result of $1.59 EPS, exceeding analysts' estimates, with a revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, reflecting a low dividend yield of 0.1% as part of its fiscal strategy.

Trexquant Investment LP lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,336 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,690 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned approximately 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $7,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 23.2% during the 1st 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. grew 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group 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 transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,274,724.96. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of ENSG traded up $1.41 during trading on Thursday, reaching $173.06. 153,711 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 425,027. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $174.98. The stock has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.76. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. 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 payout ratio is 4.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens upped their price objective 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. UBS Group upped their price objective 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 upped their price objective 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.