The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One 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 brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $196.40.

Several research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial increased 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 note on Monday, November 10th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $360,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,220. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 146 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.31, for a total transaction of $26,033.26. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,620,302.97. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 50,634 shares of company stock worth $9,079,891 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 2,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $171.99 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $178.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.00. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $193.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group’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. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.65%.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.