Insider Selling: The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) CEO Sells $507,500.00 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,788,820. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Barry Port also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, August 6th, Barry Port sold 3,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $420,000.00.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $148.66 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.00 and a 12 month high of $149.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $135.67 and a 200-day moving average of $125.87. The company has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a PE ratio of 39.12, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Natixis lifted its position 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. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Macquarie began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

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.