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

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $196.40.

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

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total value of $5,116,803.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 56,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,206,681.51. The trade was a 33.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.57, for a total value of $178,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,308,179.82. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,142 shares of company stock worth $7,054,077. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,090,000 after purchasing an additional 11,496 shares in the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at about $970,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 10.4% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 267,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,253,000 after buying an additional 25,239 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth about $2,205,000. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $594,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.4%

ENSG stock opened at $175.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.16 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.85. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $193.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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