Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 392 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director John Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,721.15. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $5.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $186.22. The company had a trading volume of 577,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 374,047. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $205.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.86. The stock has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.81. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.86 and a 52-week high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 378.6% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after acquiring an additional 17,677 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 260.5% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after buying an additional 20,975 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth approximately $6,157,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,781,000 after acquiring an additional 8,056 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.