The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 1,409,028 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 205% from the previous session’s volume of 462,699 shares.The stock last traded at $147.4840 and had previously closed at $151.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $182.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.26. The firm has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.68.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total value of $137,655.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,152 shares in the company, valued at $4,356,190.80. This represents a 3.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,721.15. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246 in the last quarter. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,964,000 after buying an additional 1,750,645 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 195.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares during the period. Finally, 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 worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.