The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Hits New 1-Year High at $152.63

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $152.63 and last traded at $151.67, with a volume of 369271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Macquarie assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $139.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th were given 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 payout ratio is 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 3,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total transaction of $422,052.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,805,643.51. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Spencer Burton sold 3,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total value of $422,052.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,805,643.51. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,736 shares of company stock valued at $3,491,039 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $972,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,853,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.4% in the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 43,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,326,000 after purchasing an additional 3,346 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,594,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.