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

Wall Street Zen cut shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on The Ensign Group from $215.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $172.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.85. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $141.58 and a twelve month high of $218.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 6.89%.The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total transaction of $114,996.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.