The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Position Trimmed by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 533,263 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,454 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.93% of The Ensign Group worth $69,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $90,747,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 461,353 shares of the company's stock worth $61,295,000 after acquiring an additional 19,821 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total value of $107,436.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie lowered their price objective on 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded down $1.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.98. The company had a trading volume of 220,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 443,140. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $147.88 and its 200-day moving average is $136.94. The company has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS 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. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is 4.73%.

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.