The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 36,529 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $4,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,747,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 461,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,295,000 after purchasing an additional 19,821 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie decreased their price target on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.9%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $150.18 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.57.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,724.96. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group 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 transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,957 shares of company stock worth $1,660,526 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.