Beverly Wittekind Sells 500 Shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.23, for a total value of $105,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,891,129.17. This trade represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of ENSG traded up $5.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $210.64. 386,896 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 401,394. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.07, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $183.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.64. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $216.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price target on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price objective (up previously from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 156.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 125.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 638.7% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $35,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.