The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. 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. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $200.39 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.93. The stock has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.48, for a total transaction of $1,606,015.84. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 277,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,960,809.76. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.82, for a total transaction of $44,235.72. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,660,278.06. This trade represents a 2.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 17,073 shares of company stock valued at $3,349,532 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 378.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 17,677 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 96.2% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382,035 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 20,975 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at about $6,157,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,781,000 after acquiring an additional 8,056 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.