The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target Raised to $166.00 at Macquarie

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Macquarie from $165.00 to $166.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Macquarie’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.51% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.4 %

ENSG opened at $148.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 36.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. 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 Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $138.28 and a 200-day moving average of $143.85.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,022,000 after buying an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,594,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $972,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 12,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,836,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.