Royal Bank of Canada Sells 6,650 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,888 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,650 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $12,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $78,840,000. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 264.9% during the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 259,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,373,000 after purchasing an additional 188,679 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $228.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $216.25.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $182.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $141.58 and a twelve month high of $218.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $166.64 and a 200-day moving average of $183.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.12. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 16.75%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.08%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $67,055.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,625,583.18. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.00% 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.