Squarepoint Ops LLC Sells 289,059 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Squarepoint Ops LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 92.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 289,059 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at $1,928,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $306,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 7,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,442 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 219.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 4,863 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 14.4% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,866,000 after buying an additional 2,337 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 8,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.48, for a total value of $1,474,032.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,752,058.92. This trade represents a 20.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.57, for a total transaction of $178,570.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 24,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,308,179.82. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 47,542 shares of company stock worth $8,528,109. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $175.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $10.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $180.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.44. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The company had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price objective (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.40.

The Ensign Group 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.