The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.50.

Separately, Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $152.38 on Monday. The Ensign Group has a 1-year low of $117.41 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $136.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.32.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at $5,881,350. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $90,747,000. Crow s Nest Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at about $56,936,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,235.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 468,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,634,000 after purchasing an additional 433,489 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,770,000 after purchasing an additional 335,964 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,167,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.