The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Rating Reiterated by Stephens

Stephens reissued their overweight rating on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $135.00 target price on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $117.25 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $121.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.35. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $87.14 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its 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 return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $50,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 43.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1,126.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.