UBS Group Initiates Coverage on The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG)

UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.82 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $148.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.68, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,057,400. The trade was a 9.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,834,000 after purchasing an additional 39,695 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.