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

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total transaction of $120,078.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,040,110.08. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $173.18 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 30.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.10. 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 quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Key Headlines Impacting The Ensign Group

Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Ensign reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $1.82, topping consensus and up materially vs. a year ago; adjusted results and margins showed healthy improvement, supporting valuation. Ensign Group (ENSG) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Aggressive FY‑2026 guidance — management raised annual EPS guidance to $7.41–$7.61 (well above consensus ~$6.93) and issued revenue guidance ~ $5.77–$5.84B, signaling confidence in organic growth and acquisitions. That guidance is a key bullish driver. The Ensign Group Reports Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Results; Issues 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Record operating performance — FY‑2025 revenue and adjusted EPS set records, Medicare revenue, skilled days and occupancy all improved; liquidity remains strong (~$504M cash + ~$592M available), which supports further M&A and dividend continuity. The Ensign Group Reports Record Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing acquisition activity — multiple small-to-mid acquisitions announced (Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin) that expand footprint and revenue base; these are accretive over time but require onboarding execution. The Ensign Group Acquires Real Estate and Operations in Texas
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive — recent buy/outperform calls and mid‑$200s price targets indicate upside for investors who buy the growth story; but targets are contingent on guidance execution. Assessing Ensign Group (ENSG) Valuation After Recent Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slight miss vs. near-term estimates — Q4 service revenue ~$1.36B was marginally below some analyst expectations (~$1.37B), which capped upside despite the EPS beat. Q4 Press Release (PDF)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — director Barry M. Smith disclosed a sale of 700 shares; Quiver/insider-trade data also shows multiple recent insider sales across executives, which can concern some investors about near-term sentiment. Director Insider Sale Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Truist Financial raised 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 target price (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,090,000 after purchasing an additional 11,496 shares in the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $970,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $594,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 378.6% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after buying an additional 17,677 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,382,035 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.