XTX Topco Ltd Buys 9,968 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 243.1% in Q1, owning 14,068 shares worth $1.82 million after acquiring 9,968 additional shares.
• The Ensign Group recently reported $1.59 earnings per share, exceeding the expected $1.54, with quarterly revenue reaching $1.23 billion, a year-over-year increase of 18.5%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, marking a 0.17% yield and a payout ratio of 4.54%.

XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 243.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,068 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,968 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. De Lisle Partners LLP raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.9% in the first quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 27,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,199,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 35.5% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 38,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,991,000 after purchasing an additional 10,106 shares during the period. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.1% in the first quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 800,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,534,000 after purchasing an additional 99,147 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of 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 lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $167.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director owned 24,926 shares in the company, valued at $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG traded up $1.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $151.75. 558,365 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 431,374. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $148.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.05. The company has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's 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.