The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.60.

Several brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total transaction of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total transaction of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,813 shares of company stock worth $2,506,203. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth $50,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1,126.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $117.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $120.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.32%.

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.