Spencer Burton Sells 2,513 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) COO Spencer Burton sold 2,513 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.50, for a total transaction of $250,043.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 50,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,995,795.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $99.13 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $94.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $78.84 and a one year high of $104.04. The company has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 18.62%. The firm had revenue of $921.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $909.96 million. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.058 per share. This represents a $0.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.45%.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Natixis bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Ellevest Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. 93.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.80.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services, as well as other ancillary services. It operates through Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. 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.