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

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total transaction of $137,655.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,356,190.80. This trade represents a 3.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $197.98. 162,279 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 380,948. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $201.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.46. The stock has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.73 and a 12 month high of $218.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be 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 is Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $795,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,645 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 valued at $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after buying an additional 136,260 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,107,000 after buying an additional 49,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.7% during 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 buying an additional 118,110 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.