The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Macquarie

Macquarie assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $126.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $123.69 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $88.79 and a one year high of $127.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $119.24 and its 200 day moving average is $118.97.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,329,632.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,813 shares of company stock valued at $808,203 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Natixis increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 39.6% during the first quarter. Natixis now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.