Keeley Teton Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Keeley Teton Advisors LLC has reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.6%, owning 74,475 shares valued at approximately $9.64 million, making it the firm's 4th largest holding.
• Wall Street analysts have generally rated The Ensign Group stock positively, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.00.
• The Ensign Group recently disclosed a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, with a low annualized dividend yield of 0.1% and a payout ratio of 4.54%.

Keeley Teton Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,475 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,958 shares during the period. The Ensign Group accounts for approximately 1.2% of Keeley Teton Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC owned 0.13% of The Ensign Group worth $9,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.5%

The Ensign Group stock traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $171.78. The company had a trading volume of 407,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 392,338. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.02. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $154.34 and its 200-day moving average is $141.96. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $173.62.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for 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 business's revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stephens boosted 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 report on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of 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 reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.00.

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.