Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 246 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director John Agwunobi sold 246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.82, for a total transaction of $44,235.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,660,278.06. The trade was a 2.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.6%

The Ensign Group stock traded down $2.89 during trading on Thursday, reaching $174.99. 325,648 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 299,668. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99. The firm has a market cap of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.30, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $178.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,090,000 after buying an additional 11,496 shares during the period. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at $970,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $594,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 378.6% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 17,677 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 61.4% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 492,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,898,000 after acquiring an additional 187,262 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on ENSG. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

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.