Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Sells $360,000.00 in Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $360,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,220. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG traded down $0.43 on Tuesday, hitting $178.60. 366,346 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 419,168. The firm has a market cap of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $180.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.23. 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 current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its stake 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 worth $486,971,000 after buying an additional 1,382,035 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $105,400,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $78,840,000. Crow s Nest Holdings LP purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $56,936,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.40.

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.