Stephens Reiterates “Overweight” Rating for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Stephens reissued their overweight rating on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $135.00 price objective on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $118.62 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The business had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.56%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value of $1,269,648.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connable Office Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.0% during the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 3,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.