The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Sees Large Volume Increase

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 491,027 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 64% from the previous session’s volume of 300,131 shares.The stock last traded at $149.10 and had previously closed at $151.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Macquarie assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $139.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Natixis grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 39.6% in the first quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.