The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.06

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 21st, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of 0.0625 per share on Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st.

The Ensign Group has a dividend payout ratio of 3.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $6.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.1%.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $128.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $132.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.82.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.