Macquarie Issues Positive Forecast for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Price

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its price target increased by Macquarie from $165.00 to $166.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $167.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $145.37 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.33 billion, a PE ratio of 35.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $138.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.81. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.05%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This trade represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.1% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.2% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $972,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 12,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.