The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Hits New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after Oppenheimer raised their price target on the stock from $165.00 to $168.00. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock. The Ensign Group traded as high as $155.68 and last traded at $154.98, with a volume of 93168 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $148.85.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $133.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.80.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,788,820. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 3.1 %

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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.27. The company has a market cap of $8.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.32%.

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.