The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind Sells 500 Shares

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly Wittekind sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.23, for a total transaction of $105,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,891,129.17. The trade was a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $5.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $210.64. 386,896 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 401,394. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $183.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.88. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $216.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $222.00 price target (up previously from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.60.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 156.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 125.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 638.7% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors 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.