The Ensign Group, Inc. (ENSG) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 31st

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 20th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st.

The Ensign Group has increased its dividend payment by an average of 4.5% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 18 years. The Ensign Group has a 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 Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $128.74 on Friday. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $132.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.15.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced 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 note 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.