The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Spire Wealth Management

Spire Wealth Management reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 92.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 352 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,625 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $46,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock worth $754,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,806 shares of the company's stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 339.6% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 10,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,369,000 after buying an additional 7,961 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $150.00. 48,494 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 448,025. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $145.19 and a 200 day moving average of $136.43. The stock has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.03. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.73%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director owned 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,257 shares of company stock worth $1,553,090 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Macquarie lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

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.