The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells $149,114.00 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $149,114.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,867,933.04. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $1.66 on Monday, hitting $215.83. The company had a trading volume of 289,028 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,898. The business has a 50 day moving average of $187.39 and a 200 day moving average of $180.11. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $218.00. The company has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The company 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 period last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 156.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised 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 during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 638.7% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About The Ensign Group

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.