Barry M. Smith Sells 700 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $135.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.79. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.05%.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 32,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,022,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,594,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth approximately $972,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in The Ensign Group by 14.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 12,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,836,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

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.