The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $165.17.

Several brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of ENSG traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $125.36. The stock had a trading volume of 20,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 426,693. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The business's fifty day moving average is $128.55 and its 200 day moving average is $137.21. The firm has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 260.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,430,000 after purchasing an additional 77,514 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,507,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $21,744,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.