The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

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

ENSG has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

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 stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Alliance increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $133.18 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.48. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $110.71 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.25, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 5.81%.

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.