The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.06

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 17th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.058 per share on Sunday, April 30th. This represents a $0.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 30th.

The Ensign Group has increased its dividend by an average of 5.0% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. The Ensign Group has a dividend payout ratio of 4.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $4.76 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.23 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.8%.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.7 %

ENSG stock opened at $90.28 on Friday. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $70.29 and a fifty-two week high of $99.52. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $91.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.02.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $809.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.31 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 7.43% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 16,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $1,631,136.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 210,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,232,384. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Lee A. Daniels sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.20, for a total value of $190,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 47,504 shares in the company, valued at $4,522,380.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 16,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total transaction of $1,631,136.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 210,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,232,384. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,253 shares of company stock valued at $1,846,841. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $289,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $257,000. 88.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. StockNews.com cut The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.60.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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The Ensign Group, Inc engages in providing skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative care services. It operates through the Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. The Skilled Services segments includes the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services. The Standard Bearer segment refers to the leasing to skilled nursing and senior living operations.