The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Acquired by Wellington Management Group LLP

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.6% during the first quarter, holding 683,650 shares valued at $88.46 million.
• Several analysts have raised their target prices for The Ensign Group, with Stephens setting a new price target of $170.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• In addition to recent hedge fund activity, insiders have sold stock, with CFO Suzanne D. Snapper selling 8,379 shares for approximately $1.24 million.

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 17.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 683,650 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 102,089 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 1.19% of The Ensign Group worth $88,464,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company's stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company's stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $171.59. The stock had a trading volume of 55,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 426,696. The stock's 50 day moving average is $153.34 and its 200 day moving average is $141.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.12, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.02. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $173.62. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during 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 Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens lifted their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.00.

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.