The Ensign Group’s (ENSG) Overweight Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Stephens in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $135.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ price target indicates a potential upside of 14.73% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $117.67. 75,787 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 263,648. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $121.99 and its 200-day moving average is $113.11. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 43.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 1,126.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 333.1% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.