Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 700 Shares of Stock

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.27, for a total value of $128,989.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,352 shares in the company, valued at $4,487,343.04. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded down $2.16 on Wednesday, reaching $178.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 395,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,551. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $180.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.36. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. The business’s revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. Analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective 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 reissued 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.2% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 28,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,660,000 after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 35.5% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 38,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,991,000 after buying an additional 10,106 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 53,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,956,000 after acquiring an additional 4,872 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.