The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $222.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $170.30 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group has a 52-week low of $134.79 and a 52-week high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total transaction of $137,655.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,152 shares in the company, valued at $4,356,190.80. This trade represents a 3.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,721.15. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock worth $478,246. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 260.5% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 20,975 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 54,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,465,000 after purchasing an additional 18,699 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.6% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,781,000 after purchasing an additional 8,056 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,508,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.3% during the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 331,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,290,000 after purchasing an additional 7,495 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.