171,439 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Purchased by Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 171,439 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,777,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $200,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 314,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,522,000 after purchasing an additional 42,072 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 27,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,702,000 after buying an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $131.78 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.38 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $128.40 and a 200 day moving average of $136.01. The company has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 41,786 shares of company stock valued at $6,154,778. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Truist Financial reduced their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Macquarie lowered their price target on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

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.