Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 700 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $173.99 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $174.98. The company has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.93. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $156.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.39.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.340-6.460 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 49,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,511,000 after purchasing an additional 12,185 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 54,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,212,000 after purchasing an additional 4,713 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 80,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,632,000 after purchasing an additional 9,433 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $244,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on 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 raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.67.

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.