Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for ENSG Earnings

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for The Ensign Group in a research report issued on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $1.65 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.64. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for The Ensign Group’s current full-year earnings is $5.59 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for The Ensign Group’s FY2026 earnings at $6.79 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.61 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $7.00 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.89 EPS.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a 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 report on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $214.17 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $187.39 and its 200-day moving average is $180.11. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $216.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.83.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.48, for a total transaction of $1,606,015.84. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 277,462 shares in the company, valued at $53,960,809.76. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 8,400 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,752,058.92. This represents a 20.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 26,773 shares of company stock valued at $5,018,308 over the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after purchasing an additional 136,260 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,107,000 after buying an additional 49,117 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,332,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,124,000 after acquiring an additional 118,110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.