The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Hits New 1-Year High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $196.37 and last traded at $194.05, with a volume of 127994 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $173.18.

The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group set a $230.00 price target on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 28,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.71, for a total value of $5,116,803.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 56,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,206,681.51. This trade represents a 33.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.57, for a total value of $178,570.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,179.82. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 50,315 shares of company stock worth $9,013,767 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position 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 buying an additional 199,983 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $348,322,000 after buying an additional 136,260 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,437,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,741,000 after buying an additional 20,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,085,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,516,000 after acquiring an additional 8,272 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.3%

The stock has a market cap of $11.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $177.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

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.