The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

ENSG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stephens upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of ENSG traded up $1.52 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $214.17. The stock had a trading volume of 461,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,199. The Ensign Group has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $216.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.90. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.88.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s 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. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.59, for a total transaction of $121,513.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,652 shares in the company, valued at $4,105,750.68. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total value of $213,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,063,840.18. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 27,473 shares of company stock worth $5,147,297 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 156.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 125.6% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.