Daren Shaw Sells 2,000 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $128.07 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.30.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 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 issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial cut their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,102,000 after buying an additional 6,931 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after buying an additional 78,570 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.