Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 1,900 Shares of 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. decreased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 1.6% during 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 about 0.20% of The Ensign Group worth $14,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $754,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.7% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,529 shares of the company's stock worth $4,727,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $343,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% 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, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,498 shares of company stock worth $2,201,175 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $168.95 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $174.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $157.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.55.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.54%.

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.

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