The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Hits New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Key Points

• The Ensign Group shares reached a new 52-week high, trading at $167.10, with a volume of 32,085 shares, following an increase from the previous close of $164.06.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with five rating it as a Buy and one as a Hold; the consensus price target is $171.00.
• The company reported $1.59 EPS for its last quarter, exceeding expectations, and achieved revenue growth of 18.5% compared to the prior year.

Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $167.10 and last traded at $166.31, with a volume of 32085 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $164.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie reduced their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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 report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, 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 note on Monday, July 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.00.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $9.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's 50 day moving average is $151.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.83. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.54%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,798 shares of company stock worth $2,080,733 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 7,711 shares of the company's stock worth $1,189,000 after buying an additional 2,442 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 219.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 4,863 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 14.4% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,580 shares of the company's stock worth $2,866,000 after buying an additional 2,337 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.7% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,222 shares of the company's stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth approximately $263,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.