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

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $126,448.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,525,393.28. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $182.91 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $193.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.20, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $175.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.86.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.92% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 888 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $258,000. Profund Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 2,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $468,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday. Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial set a $190.00 target price on The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.50.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.