Royal Bank of Canada Raises The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target to $172.00

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) had its target price increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $167.00 to $172.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on ENSG. 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. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. One investment 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ ENSG traded down $0.95 during trading on Monday, hitting $151.87. The stock had a trading volume of 384,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 370,031. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $94.56 and a 12 month high of $156.07. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $148.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.71. The company has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 40.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 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 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 4.99 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,520,240. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,520,240. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 32,250 shares of the company's stock worth $4,638,000 after acquiring an additional 4,783 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,522,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,531,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $228,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.