Corebridge Financial Inc. Trims Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Corebridge Financial Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 91,588 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,724 shares during the period. Corebridge Financial Inc. owned about 0.16% of The Ensign Group worth $12,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. FMR LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at $36,167,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after acquiring an additional 229,586 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $21,744,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after acquiring an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $130.01 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $132.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

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.