The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 11.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 188,232 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,375 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.33% of The Ensign Group worth $32,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 96.2% during the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382,035 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at about $105,400,000. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,961,000 after acquiring an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 61.4% during the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 492,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,898,000 after acquiring an additional 187,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 31.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 614,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,851,000 after acquiring an additional 146,302 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.57, for a total transaction of $178,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,126 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,179.82. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $397,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,165 shares in the company, valued at $9,209,700. This represents a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,032 shares of company stock valued at $5,373,698. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $213.34 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 36.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $180.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $216.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. Equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Wall Street Zen upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $222.00 price target (up previously from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.