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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.75.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.23%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 21,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246. Insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,016,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,322,000 after purchasing an additional 136,260 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,498,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,107,000 after buying an additional 49,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,332,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,124,000 after buying an additional 118,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

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.