The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Trading Down 6% – Here’s Why

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) shares were down 6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $159.20 and last traded at $160.0270. Approximately 480,359 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 14% from the average daily volume of 422,266 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 8.5%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $184.82 and a 200 day moving average of $187.77. The stock has a market cap of $9.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 6.89%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,721.15. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 20,975 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 54,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,465,000 after acquiring an additional 18,699 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,508,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 331,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,290,000 after purchasing an additional 7,495 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.