UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Price

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its price target lifted by UBS Group from $195.00 to $205.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ENSG. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.67.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.4%

ENSG stock opened at $172.53 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The Ensign Group has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $174.98. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 114.0% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 638.7% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.