UBS Group Initiates Coverage on The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG)

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.36 on Thursday. The Ensign Group has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $148.76 and its 200 day moving average is $138.14. The company has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS 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 firm 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 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.