Squarepoint Ops LLC Purchases 58,109 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2,093.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 60,885 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,109 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $9,760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 15,582.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,563,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,693,321,000 after purchasing an additional 10,496,091 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $937,218,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $78,840,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth approximately $65,470,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $172.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $175.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.66. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.58 and a twelve month high of $218.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.69.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.12. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 16.75%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $228.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $67,055.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at $1,625,583.18. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ENSG) is a healthcare services company that provides post-acute and senior care through a network of independently operated subsidiaries. Its businesses primarily focus on skilled nursing, rehabilitation and transitional care for patients recovering from illness, injury or surgery, as well as long-term care for seniors and individuals with complex medical needs.

The company also operates or supports assisted living, independent living, memory care, home health and hospice services in selected markets.