The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $196.40.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 246 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.87, for a total value of $46,462.02. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,676,976.73. This represents a 2.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.27, for a total transaction of $128,989.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,352 shares in the company, valued at $4,487,343.04. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 39,142 shares of company stock worth $7,054,077 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at $28,000. 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $175.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.16 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.23. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $193.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.47%.

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.