Riverbridge Partners LLC Has $121.33 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Riverbridge Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 696,510 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,622 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group comprises 2.3% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned 1.20% of The Ensign Group worth $121,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP increased 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 during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 96.2% during the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,971,000 after buying an additional 1,382,035 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $348,322,000 after buying an additional 136,260 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,085,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,516,000 after buying an additional 8,272 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $105,400,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.48, for a total value of $1,606,015.84. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 277,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,960,809.76. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total value of $213,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,063,840.18. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 17,073 shares of company stock worth $3,333,390 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $201.99 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $198.97 and a 200-day moving average of $184.89. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $218.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $11.70 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.83.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $230.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $215.00 price target on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $204.60.

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.