The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives $165.17 Average Target Price from Brokerages

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $165.17.

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. 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, January 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 800,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,143,000 after purchasing an additional 23,381 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 78.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,612,000 after buying an additional 12,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 164.9% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $130.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.68. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

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.