Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 8,438 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 30.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 19,426 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,438 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $104,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock remained flat at $151.24 during trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 322,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 451,087. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.56 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $138.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.