The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.06

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, June 14th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.06 per share on Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th.

The Ensign Group has increased its dividend by an average of 4.7% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 17 years. The Ensign Group has a payout ratio of 4.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $5.46 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.4%.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.5 %

ENSG stock opened at $118.96 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $118.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.89. The company has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.99. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $88.79 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total transaction of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,813 shares of company stock valued at $808,203 over the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.60.

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.