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

Stephens reiterated their overweight rating on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $135.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer upped their price objective 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 upped their price objective 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $1.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $118.62. The stock had a trading volume of 325,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 266,993. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $121.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.11. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $87.14 and a fifty-two week high of $127.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value of $1,269,648.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company's stock worth $743,042,000 after buying an additional 310,182 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company's stock worth $294,031,000 after buying an additional 221,838 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company's stock worth $67,379,000 after buying an additional 147,698 shares during the period. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $13,578,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

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.