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

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $196.40.

ENSG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens lifted their target price on 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 reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.27, for a total value of $128,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,487,343.04. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $397,620.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 51,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,209,700. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,542 shares of company stock worth $8,888,109. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $28,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 638.7% during the second 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. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $173.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.11, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $179.72 and its 200 day moving average is $168.58. 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 Ensign Group has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The business’s 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 forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.065 dividend. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

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.