Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.2%, selling 73,983 shares to own approximately 10.60% of the company, valued at $788.9 million.
• Insider transactions included CFO Suzanne D. Snapper selling 8,379 shares for over $1.24 million, resulting in a 3.01% decline in her ownership.
• The Ensign Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 0.2%, amid a reported revenue increase of 18.5% year-over-year.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,096,967 shares of the company's stock after selling 73,983 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.60% of The Ensign Group worth $788,948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $754,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.7% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted 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 valued at $4,727,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday. Macquarie cut their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,337 shares of company stock worth $2,611,583. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $166.00. 253,895 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 531,313. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a PE ratio of 30.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.02. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $166.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $150.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.51.

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, beating 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 return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.54%.

The Ensign Group Company 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.