The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) to Issue $0.06 Dividend

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Monday, June 23rd, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of 0.0625 per share on Thursday, July 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th.

The Ensign Group has a payout ratio of 3.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $6.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.1%.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.8%

ENSG stock opened at $153.54 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $140.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.80. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,257 shares of company stock worth $1,553,090. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

An institutional investor recently raised its position in The Ensign Group stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 161,946 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,590 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned approximately 0.28% of The Ensign Group worth $20,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Macquarie decreased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

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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