JLB & Associates Inc. Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

JLB & Associates Inc. bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 72,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,556,000. The Ensign Group accounts for 1.5% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $937,218,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $1,261,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $2,529,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at $232,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale 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. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total transaction of $67,055.52. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,625,583.18. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $228.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $216.25.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $182.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $169.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.31. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.58 and a 52 week high of $218.00. The company has a market capitalization of $10.64 billion, a PE ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.68.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 6.90%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.59 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.08%.

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.