The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Earns Overweight Rating from Stephens

Stephens reaffirmed their overweight rating on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has a $135.00 price target on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.1 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $117.29 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $87.14 and a twelve month high of $127.57. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $121.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The company had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,328,344. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,126.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 333.1% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.