Sheets Smith Wealth Management Trims Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Sheets Smith Wealth Management decreased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144 shares during the period. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $217,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $168,000. Westover Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 333.1% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 13,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $1.44 on Monday, reaching $115.45. 213,607 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 272,565. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.51. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.14 and a 12 month high of $127.57. The company has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.60.

The Ensign Group 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.