Oppenheimer Increases The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target to $168.00

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Oppenheimer from $165.00 to $168.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Macquarie started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $133.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.80.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.7 %

ENSG traded up $3.97 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $152.82. 500,690 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 369,961. The firm has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $92.69 and a 12-month high of $155.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $148.37 and a 200 day moving average of $133.27.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend 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 presently 6.32%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,520,240. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,520,240. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.