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

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $139.50.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Macquarie initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $153.67 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $8.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $142.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.33. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $90.00 and a fifty-two week high of $154.44.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value of $1,015,365.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,512,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 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.