Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for ENSG FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research slightly cut its FY2026 EPS estimate for The Ensign Group to $6.78 (from $6.79) and maintains a Hold rating on the stock.
• Most Wall Street coverage is more positive—five analysts rate ENSG a Buy versus two Holds, with a consensus target of $204.60 while the stock trades around $204.79.
• The company recently beat Q4 EPS ($1.82 vs. $1.75), reported revenue up 20.2% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance of $7.41–$7.61 in EPS.

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of The Ensign Group in a report issued on Tuesday, April 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $6.78 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $6.79. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for The Ensign Group's current full-year earnings is $5.59 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for The Ensign Group's Q1 2027 earnings at $1.75 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen raised The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.2%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $204.79 on Thursday. The Ensign Group has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $218.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $11.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.07, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.05.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 6.80%.The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 378.6% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,861,000 after buying an additional 17,677 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 96.2% in the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company's stock valued at $486,971,000 after buying an additional 1,382,035 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,015,000 after buying an additional 20,975 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,157,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,781,000 after purchasing an additional 8,056 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total transaction of $213,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,063,840.18. This represents a 4.04% 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 4,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.11, for a total value of $896,811.03. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 272,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,516,261.79. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 17,073 shares of company stock worth $3,349,532 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.45%.

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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