Insider Selling: The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 4,463 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

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 value of $718,020.00.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $117.82. The stock had a trading volume of 207,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,101. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.14 and a 12 month high of $127.57. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $122.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.42. The company has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $975.13 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is 6.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,042,000 after purchasing an additional 310,182 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors Inc. now owns 6,409,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $576,893,000 after purchasing an additional 288,585 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $294,031,000 after purchasing an additional 221,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,379,000 after purchasing an additional 147,698 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised 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 note on Friday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.20.

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.

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