The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $214.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $216.92. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $187.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $180.02. The firm has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.88.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 6.80%.The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.45%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 8,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.48, for a total value of $1,474,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,752,058.92. This represents a 20.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.48, for a total transaction of $1,606,015.84. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 277,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,960,809.76. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 27,473 shares of company stock worth $5,147,297 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $456,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $5,460,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 683,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,133,000 after buying an additional 151,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 304,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,980,000 after buying an additional 44,466 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company’s model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.