The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $126.17.

Several analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Macquarie initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,813 shares of company stock valued at $808,203. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.5% in the first quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $126.41 on Friday. 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 Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $88.79 and a twelve month high of $128.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $119.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.21. The firm has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.32%.

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.