Insider Selling: The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 4,463 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Daren Shaw also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 15th, Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total value of $718,020.00.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $116.48 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.44.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $65,050,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after acquiring an additional 310,182 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors Inc. now owns 6,409,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,893,000 after acquiring an additional 288,585 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,031,000 after acquiring an additional 221,838 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,379,000 after acquiring an additional 147,698 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.20.

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.