The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Given New $156.00 Price Target at Macquarie

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its target price reduced by Macquarie from $159.00 to $156.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ENSG. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on 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. 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $132.32 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $128.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.32. The Ensign Group has a 52 week low of $114.88 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.