Alps Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $468,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 96.2% during the 3rd 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. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $105,400,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 61.4% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 492,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,898,000 after buying an additional 187,262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 31.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 614,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,851,000 after buying an additional 146,302 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $213.34 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $216.92. The stock has a market cap of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 36.53, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $180.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The company 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 for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total transaction of $120,078.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,040,110.08. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 $53,960,809.76. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,419,591. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ENSG. UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens upped 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price objective (up previously from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.60.

The Ensign Group Company 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.