Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.43, for a total transaction of $213,430.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,063,840.18. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG traded down $5.18 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $204.78. 416,325 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,834. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.88. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $216.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 6.80%.The company’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. UBS Group set a $230.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $215.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.60.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after buying an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after buying an additional 136,260 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,107,000 after buying an additional 49,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,332,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,124,000 after buying an additional 118,110 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.