Barry M. Smith Sells 700 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.8 %

ENSG opened at $130.06 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $143.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.48. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.71 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93.

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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on 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 increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.83.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 314,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,522,000 after purchasing an additional 42,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.