Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Sells 11,556 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC trimmed its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 288,276 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,556 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC owned about 0.50% of The Ensign Group worth $37,303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ENSG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $90,747,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,770,000 after purchasing an additional 335,964 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,167,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $22,777,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie decreased their price target on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.5%

The Ensign Group stock traded down $2.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $136.80. 275,922 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 439,876. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $148.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.16. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.73 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 27,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. The trade was a 2.45% 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, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377. 3.90% of the stock is currently 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.