Bessemer Group Inc. Trims Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Bessemer Group Inc. cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 217,113 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,598 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.38% of The Ensign Group worth $37,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 96.2% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,971,000 after buying an additional 1,382,035 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,437,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,741,000 after buying an additional 20,229 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,400,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 31.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 614,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,851,000 after acquiring an additional 146,302 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Stephens increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five research 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.40.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 13.8%

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $197.16 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $177.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.27. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $199.01. The stock has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.76, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.88. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.20% and a net margin of 6.80%.The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. Analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.65%.

Key Headlines Impacting The Ensign Group

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $360,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,220. This represents a 5.75% 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. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total transaction of $120,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,040,110.08. The trade was a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 50,315 shares of company stock valued at $9,013,767 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.