The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $126.17.

ENSG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Macquarie started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,813 shares of company stock worth $808,203 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after buying an additional 310,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,031,000 after buying an additional 221,838 shares during the period. Axiom Investors LLC DE increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 142.8% in the fourth quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 187,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,022,000 after buying an additional 110,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 36.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 403,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,224,000 after acquiring an additional 107,317 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $123.69 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.99. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $88.79 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $119.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.85.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.