The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC cut its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 36.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,332 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,339 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,175. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $173.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of 31.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average is $156.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.39. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $174.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous 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, analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued 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 of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group 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.