The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Increases Dividend to $0.06 Per Share

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, December 16th,Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.0625 per share on Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06.

The Ensign Group has raised its dividend by an average of 4.7% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 17 consecutive years. The Ensign Group has a payout ratio of 3.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $5.58 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.3%.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of ENSG stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $142.30. 100,485 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 371,296. The firm has a market cap of $8.15 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $147.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.83. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $110.29 and a 1 year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. 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 raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group started 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 objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was 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 $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.