The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind Sells 500 Shares

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind sold 500 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.23, for a total transaction of $105,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares in the company, valued at $6,891,129.17. This trade represents a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.9%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $210.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $183.79 and a 200-day moving average of $178.03. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $216.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The Ensign Group’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 business posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth about $5,460,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 683,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,133,000 after buying an additional 151,792 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 304,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,980,000 after buying an additional 44,466 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 17,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.