Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Sells 15,325 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC decreased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 49.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,950 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,325 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $80,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Macquarie cut 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. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $136.68. 240,742 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 432,511. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.65. 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 capitalization of $7.86 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.23 and a 1-year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.