The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith Sells 700 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $149,114.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,867,933.04. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $215.83 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $188.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $180.46. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $218.00. The company has a market capitalization of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.83. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,961,000 after acquiring an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after acquiring an additional 136,260 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,107,000 after acquiring an additional 49,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,332,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,124,000 after purchasing an additional 118,110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.