Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Grows Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 28.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,056 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,717 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 0.10% of The Ensign Group worth $11,698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $78,840,000. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 264.9% in the 1st 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total transaction of $67,055.52. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,625,583.18. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total transaction of $114,996.00. Following the sale, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,792 shares of company stock valued at $309,599. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.8%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $183.14 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $165.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.69. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.58 and a 52 week high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.12. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.12% and a net margin of 6.90%.The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share. The Ensign Group’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, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 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 Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $228.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on The Ensign Group from $215.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.00.

More The Ensign Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat expectations: Adjusted EPS was $1.92, exceeding the $1.80 consensus estimate and rising 20.8% year over year. GAAP diluted EPS increased 16.7% to $1.68, while revenue climbed 17.3% to $1.44 billion. The Ensign Group Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance was raised: Ensign increased 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $7.75–$7.85 from $7.48–$7.62 and revenue guidance to $5.87–$5.92 billion from $5.81–$5.86 billion. The new EPS midpoint is projected to grow 18.7% from 2025.
• Positive Sentiment: Operating trends remained favorable: Same-facility occupancy improved to 84.1%, skilled mix revenue increased 10.1%, and management cited clinical quality measures above peer averages and rehospitalization rates below the national average. Ensign also added 20 operations and reported $262.3 million in cash plus $591.6 million of available credit.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst valuation support: The reported consensus price target is approximately $213.50, implying potential upside relative to recent trading levels. Consensus price target report
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares for approximately $67,056 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his holdings by 3.96%, but the planned nature of the sale limits its significance as a bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang persists: Rosen Law Firm and Kaplan Fox announced investigations into potential securities-law violations tied to allegations raised in a Hunterbrook short-seller report concerning staffing, care quality and financial disclosures. The claims remain allegations and could create litigation, regulatory and reputational risks. Kaplan Fox investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Acquisition execution risk: Newly acquired facilities have below-average occupancy and significant clinical and operational challenges, which could pressure margins if integration takes longer than expected.

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.