The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Declares Dividend Increase – $0.06 Per Share

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, December 13th,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.0625 per share on Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06.

The Ensign Group has increased its dividend payment by an average of 4.7% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 18 years. The Ensign Group has a payout ratio of 4.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $5.58 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.5%.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $133.98 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a PE ratio of 32.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $110.71 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $145.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their target price 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. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

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.