The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Macquarie

Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $126.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $124.14 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.06. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $88.79 and a 12 month high of $127.57.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was 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 directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’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 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,813 shares of company stock worth $808,203. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Natixis lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 39.6% during the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $50,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.