Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP Acquires Shares of 8,922 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,185,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,099,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 130,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,278,000 after purchasing an additional 11,830 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 339.6% during the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 10,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 7,961 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $263,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 260.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,430,000 after purchasing an additional 77,514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie lowered their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $149.64. The company had a trading volume of 100,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,765. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The business's 50-day moving average is $130.40 and its 200-day moving average is $135.33. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.23 and a 52 week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during 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 firm's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.