Analysts Set The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target at $161.83

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $161.83.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial cut their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report 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 report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised 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 note on Friday, October 25th.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $130.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $110.71 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company’s fifty day moving average is $141.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.63.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This trade represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Alliance grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 110 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.