Barry Smith Sells 700 Shares of The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total value of $120,078.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 23,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,040,110.08. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 13.8%

ENSG stock opened at $197.16 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $177.12 and a 200-day moving average of $173.27. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $199.01. The company has a market capitalization of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.76, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.88. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.20% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 161,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,956,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 383 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $594,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in The Ensign Group by 2.5% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 12,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,929,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

The Ensign Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management issued high FY?2026 guidance (EPS $7.41–$7.61; revenue $5.77B–$5.84B), well above prior consensus — a direct bullish catalyst supporting multiple quarters of earnings growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.82 beat estimates ($1.75) and showed solid year?over?year growth, which validates margin and operational improvement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational metrics are strong: record occupancy and Medicare/skilled-revenue growth, plus healthy liquidity (~$504M cash + ~$592M available capacity), supporting both organic margin expansion and continued M&A. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is constructive (recent buy/outperform notes and raised targets), which can amplify upside if guidance is executed. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is actively adding assets (multiple acquisitions/real?estate additions announced). These expand scale and future revenue but require successful integration to realize accretion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full Q4 / FY press release and supplemental metrics (detailed occupancy, payor mix, FFO and segment disclosure) to judge sustainability of the beat and guidance assumptions. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Service revenue for Q4 (~$1.36B) was marginally below some analyst estimates (~$1.37B); that small miss is a reminder that top-line execution must track management’s ambitious targets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed (director sold 700 shares; broader pattern of insider sales noted by third?party trackers). While not large vs. total holdings, repeated executive sales can create short?term investor caution. Read More.

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.