Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Decreases Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 23.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,294 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,993 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $90,747,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,770,000 after buying an additional 335,964 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,167,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $22,777,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock traded down $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.57. 115,039 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 418,083. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $148.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.13. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The business 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Macquarie decreased 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377 over the last 90 days. Company 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.