The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives $194.00 Average Price Target from Brokerages

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $196.40.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Stephens raised their price objective 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 reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $178.50 on Friday. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $193.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day moving average is $176.69 and its 200 day moving average is $161.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. The business’s 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, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $126,448.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,525,393.28. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total transaction of $5,116,803.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 56,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,206,681.51. The trade was a 33.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 30,034 shares of company stock worth $5,423,448 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 28.5% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $249,000. Morningstar Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,256,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 42,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,276,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.