The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Declares $0.06 Quarterly Dividend

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 21st, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.0625 per share on Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st.

The Ensign Group has a payout ratio of 3.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect The Ensign Group to earn $6.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 4.1%.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $128.24 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $132.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.87. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.