The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith Sells 700 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total value of $137,655.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,152 shares in the company, valued at $4,356,190.80. The trade was a 3.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $197.98 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $218.00. The company has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $201.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.67. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group’s 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given 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 is Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued 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. Zacks Research raised The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given 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 “Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 1,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 2.5% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 2,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 61 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.