The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw Sells 4,463 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Daren Shaw also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 15th, Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total value of $718,020.00.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $117.82 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $122.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.14 and a 1-year high of $127.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 6.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 37.3% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.6% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 52,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,725,000 after buying an additional 4,140 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $957,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after buying an additional 9,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 136,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,330,000 after buying an additional 6,609 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.