Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Grows Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 513,857 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,328 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $89,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 20,975 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 54,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,465,000 after purchasing an additional 18,699 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,508,000. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,781,000 after purchasing an additional 8,056 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,721.15. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total value of $137,655.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,356,190.80. This represents a 3.06% 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. Insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246 in the last quarter. 4.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its stock repurchase authorization by $60 million to a total of $100 million, which can signal confidence from management and provide support for the share price. The Ensign Group, Inc. Announces Increased Stock Repurchase Authorization
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-style commentary highlighted Ensign as a strong growth stock, reinforcing the view that the company still has underlying earnings and operating momentum. Here’s Why Ensign Group (ENSG) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also framed the expanded buyback as potentially positive for investors, but it is largely a read on capital allocation rather than a new operating update. Is ENSG’s Expanded $100M Buyback Program a Positive for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms launched investigations into possible securities law violations after critical reports alleged patient-care issues, quality-measure gaming, and improper billing, which is a major overhang for the stock. ENSG ALERT: Investigation Launched into The Ensign Group, Inc., RGRD Law Attorneys Encourage Investors and Potential Witnesses to Contact Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Additional investor alerts from Rosen, Pomerantz, Holzer & Holzer, and Hagens Berman point to escalating legal scrutiny and risk of further downside if the allegations gain traction. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of The Ensign Group, Inc. – ENSG

The Ensign Group Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $156.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $134.79 and a 12-month high of $218.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Zacks Research cut The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.75.

The Ensign Group 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.