Brokerages Set The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target at $164.33

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $164.33.

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,834,000 after acquiring an additional 39,695 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth about $448,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 6,583 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $145.98 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $104.18 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $148.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.81%.

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.