Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $14.90 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. sold 1,900 shares of The Ensign Group, reducing its stake by 1.6% to a total of 115,153 shares, valued at approximately $14.9 million.
• Research analysts have increased their target prices on The Ensign Group, with UBS Group setting a new target of $205.00 and the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The Ensign Group recently cut its dividend to $0.0625 per share, signaling a 0.1% yield, contrasting with a dividend payout ratio of 4.54%.

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,153 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,900 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.20% of The Ensign Group worth $14,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total transaction of $120,442.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,779 shares of company stock worth $1,469,730. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $1.60 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $165.94. 541,699 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 321,329. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $159.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $174.98. The firm has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The company's revenue 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. Equities research 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 announced 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. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

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.