Brokerages Set The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target at $126.17

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.17.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Macquarie initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target for the company.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 20,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.26, for a total value of $236,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,577,365. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total transaction of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,632.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,813 shares of company stock worth $808,203. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Natixis grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 39.6% in the first quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $124.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $119.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.06. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $88.79 and a one year high of $127.57. The stock has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

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.