The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) – SunTrust Banks issued their Q2 2019 EPS estimates for shares of The Ensign Group in a note issued to investors on Monday, June 3rd, according to Zacks Investment Research. SunTrust Banks analyst D. Macdonald expects that the company will post earnings of $0.49 per share for the quarter. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for The Ensign Group’s Q3 2019 earnings at $0.51 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.58 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $0.64 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $2.34 EPS.
The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 17.23%. The firm had revenue of $549.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $545.09 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis.
Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BidaskClub lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. ValuEngine downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.17.
Shares of ENSG stock traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $56.92. 727,641 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 309,340. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $55.29. The Ensign Group has a 12-month low of $34.69 and a 12-month high of $58.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be given a $0.0475 dividend. This represents a $0.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.61%.
In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 868 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total value of $46,151.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 54,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,895,744.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 2,982 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total transaction of $158,552.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 223,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,868,394.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,547 shares of company stock valued at $242,252. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. now owns 112,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,779,000 after purchasing an additional 5,607 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 119.0% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 59.8% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $1,310,000. Finally, Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 78.4% in the 1st quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 91,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,658,000 after purchasing an additional 40,000 shares in the last quarter. 81.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About The Ensign Group
The Ensign Group, Inc provides health care services in the post-acute care continuum and other ancillary businesses. The company operates in three segments: Transitional and Skilled Services; Assisted and Independent Living Services; and Home Health and Hospice Services. The Transitional and Skilled Services segment offers a range of medical, nursing, rehabilitative, and pharmacy services, as well as routine services, such as daily dietary, social, and recreational services to Medicaid, private pay, managed care, and Medicare payors.