The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $228.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.25.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $172.89 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.23. The Ensign Group has a one year low of $141.58 and a one year high of $218.00. The firm has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 27.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 6.90%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0650 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.08%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director John Agwunobi sold 392 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $67,055.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at $1,625,583.18. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bayban acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ENSG) is a healthcare services company that operates through a network of skilled nursing, rehabilitation and senior living facilities. Its centers provide post-acute care, including nursing services, physical, occupational and speech therapy, short-term rehabilitation, and long-term residential care for older adults and patients recovering from illness, injury or surgery.

The company also provides home health and hospice services, as well as a range of ancillary services supporting post-acute care.