Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Increases Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,756 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,853 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.22% of The Ensign Group worth $22,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after acquiring an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position 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 during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,085,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,516,000 after purchasing an additional 8,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 522,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,305,000 after purchasing an additional 4,206 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.48, for a total transaction of $1,606,015.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 277,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,960,809.76. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total transaction of $213,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,726 shares in the company, valued at $5,063,840.18. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 16,373 shares of company stock valued at $3,211,877 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $196.62 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $201.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $11.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. 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 year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. 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

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $204.60.

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.