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

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.50.

Separately, Macquarie lowered 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. State of Wyoming boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company's stock worth $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company's stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG stock traded up $1.78 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $151.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 358,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 448,707. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $117.91 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $137.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.73%.

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.