Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Purchases 2,050 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,810 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,050 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $8,516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 109.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 822 shares of the company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie lowered their target price on shares of 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 7.2%

Shares of ENSG stock traded up $9.94 on Friday, hitting $147.71. The stock had a trading volume of 327,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 421,990. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.32. The company has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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 dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,926 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% 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 worth $2,902,377. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.