Brokerages Set The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) PT at $164.33

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $164.33.

A number of analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $146.36 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.85. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.