Truist Financial Issues Pessimistic Forecast for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Price

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at Truist Financial from $170.00 to $155.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Truist Financial’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.47% from the company’s previous close.

ENSG has been the subject of several other reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $130.84 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $142.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.54. The Ensign Group has a twelve month low of $110.71 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.68, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 294.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.