The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Gap Down to $147.43

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $147.43, but opened at $143.77. The Ensign Group shares last traded at $142.59, with a volume of 116,302 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Macquarie initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.40.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.12.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,520,240. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Natixis grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 39.6% during the first quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.