The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Sells $360,000.00 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $360,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,220. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $176.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 31.63, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.85. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $193.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $180.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.55.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.065 dividend. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the 2nd 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. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 96.2% during the third 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. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after purchasing an additional 136,260 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,437,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,741,000 after purchasing an additional 20,229 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,085,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,516,000 after buying an additional 8,272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Stephens upped 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. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.40.

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.