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

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) 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.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $14,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 65.7% in the 1st quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 37,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,821,000 after buying an additional 14,772 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.0% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 2,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $905,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $168.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a PE ratio of 30.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.93. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $174.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $157.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.55. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Truist Financial increased 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 report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group 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 in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock worth $2,201,175 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.