The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw Sells 2,000 Shares

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.0 %

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $128.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 274,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 454,334. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.30. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its 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%. Research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 74.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,179,000 after acquiring an additional 27,140 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the third quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

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.