Equitable Trust Co. Raises Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Equitable Trust Co. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,026 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,975 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. owned about 0.05% of The Ensign Group worth $5,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 161,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,956,000 after acquiring an additional 14,590 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 150.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Fielder Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.59, for a total value of $121,513.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,105,750.68. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total value of $213,430.00. Following the sale, the director owned 23,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,063,840.18. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 27,473 shares of company stock valued at $5,147,297 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $210.64 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $216.92. The firm has a market cap of $12.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.07, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $183.79 and a 200 day moving average of $178.31. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, sell-side 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. 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, February 6th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $222.00 target price (up previously from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.60.

The Ensign Group 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.