The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Now Covered by Analysts at Macquarie

Macquarie started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a report issued on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on ENSG. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $126.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.4 %

ENSG opened at $123.69 on Friday. The Ensign Group has a 52 week low of $88.79 and a 52 week high of $127.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.85. The company has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.0% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. EULAV Asset Management raised its position in The Ensign Group by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 92,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,509,000 after purchasing an additional 16,000 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 595.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,553,000 after buying an additional 17,573 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at $5,167,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.