The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• The Ensign Group has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with four buy ratings and two hold ratings among six firms covering the stock. The average 12-month price target is $216.75.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.85 per share, topping estimates, while revenue rose 18.4% year over year to $1.39 billion. Ensign also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of 7.48 to 7.62.
• Insiders sold shares in recent months, while institutional ownership remains very high at 96.12%. Hedge funds such as Baillie Gifford and Wasatch Advisors increased their positions.

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $216.75.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Zacks Research lowered The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen raised The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, June 9th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,721.15. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total value of $137,655.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,356,190.80. This represents a 3.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock worth $478,246. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company's stock worth $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company's stock worth $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company's stock worth $348,322,000 after buying an additional 136,260 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company's stock worth $261,107,000 after buying an additional 49,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,332,505 shares of the company's stock worth $232,124,000 after buying an additional 118,110 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $163.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.68. The business's fifty day moving average price is $171.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $184.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group has a 12 month low of $134.79 and a 12 month high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.23%.

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.

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