Wall Street Zen Upgrades The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) to Buy

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Stephens increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.40.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $197.80 on Friday. 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 Ensign Group has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $201.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $174.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.88.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group’s 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total value of $120,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,552 shares in the company, valued at $4,040,110.08. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $397,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,165 shares in the company, valued at $9,209,700. This represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,315 shares of company stock worth $9,013,767. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised 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 valued at $795,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750,645 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $105,400,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 195.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares during the period. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.