Brokerages Set The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) PT at $119.20

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.20.

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total transaction of $718,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,754,646.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 84,782 shares of company stock valued at $10,048,943 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $125.62 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $87.14 and a twelve month high of $127.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $120.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.56%.

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.