Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys 75,236 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 116.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 139,996 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,236 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.24% of The Ensign Group worth $18,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Twinbeech Capital LP lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 45,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,088,000 after acquiring an additional 5,742 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $6,616,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 132,925 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,660,000 after acquiring an additional 19,796 shares in the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 3,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the company's stock valued at $912,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ENSG. Macquarie cut their price objective on shares of 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. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.8%

ENSG stock traded up $2.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $147.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 44,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 444,972. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.23 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company's fifty day moving average price is $132.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.81, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

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, 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,238 shares of company stock worth $912,050 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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.