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

Key Points

• Analysts have collectively rated The Ensign Group, Inc. as a "Moderate Buy", with an average 1-year target price of $171.00.
• The Ensign Group reported $1.59 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and showing a 18.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company has cut its quarterly dividend, with recent payments yielding 0.1% annually, and insiders have been selling shares, indicating potential profit-taking.

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $171.00.

Several research firms recently issued reports on ENSG. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Macquarie cut their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, August 14th.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.9%

ENSG stock opened at $172.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The Ensign Group has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $173.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.59. The firm has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a PE ratio of 31.30, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.02.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 4.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,798 shares of company stock valued at $2,080,733 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rise Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 114.0% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 116.7% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 638.7% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

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.

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