The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells $530,918.48 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Daren Shaw also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 15th, Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total transaction of $718,020.00.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $118.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $122.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.63. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.31, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 37.3% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.6% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 52,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,725,000 after buying an additional 4,140 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth about $957,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 54.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,535,000 after acquiring an additional 9,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 136,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,330,000 after acquiring an additional 6,609 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.20.

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.