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

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.83.

Several brokerages recently commented on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial cut 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. Stephens lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of 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.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.9 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $133.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $110.71 and a one year high of $158.45. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 294.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.