The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Hits New 1-Year High at $152.63

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $152.63 and last traded at $151.67, with a volume of 369271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $139.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total value of $1,015,365.76. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,620.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,736 shares of company stock worth $3,491,039. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $972,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,853,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 43,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,326,000 after acquiring an additional 3,346 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in The Ensign Group by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,826,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.