The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Given “Overweight” Rating at Stephens

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by stock analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.43% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on ENSG. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Macquarie upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 4.8 %

The Ensign Group stock traded down $7.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.65. The company had a trading volume of 69,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,769. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $138.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.85. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.