Truist Financial Cuts The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Price Target to $155.00

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its price target cut by Truist Financial from $170.00 to $155.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

ENSG has been the subject of several other reports. Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $133.18 on Monday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.54. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $110.71 and a one year high of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 6,931 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the third 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 increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 67.9% during the third 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 lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after acquiring an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,500,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.