New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,804 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,430 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $4,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Connable Office Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 3,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $116.89 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $121.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.39. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.14 and a 12 month high of $127.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. Equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.