The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells $93,401.00 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $133.18 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $110.71 and a one year high of $158.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $142.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.54.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price target on 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 target price 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. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Stephens increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased 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 report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $151,827,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after buying an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $18,843,000. 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.