Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 107,689 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 630,380 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 107,689 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $109,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 20,975 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in 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 worth $9,465,000 after acquiring an additional 18,699 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,781,000 after acquiring an additional 8,056 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,508,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 331,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,290,000 after acquiring an additional 7,495 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total transaction of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 2,592 shares of company stock valued at $478,246 over the last 90 days. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted that investors are still holding the stock because Ensign continues to benefit from rising occupancy, acquisitions, real estate growth, strong cash flow, and low debt, supporting the long-term investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ensign also had a prior business update showing solid revenue growth and earnings that beat estimates, which may help cushion some of the recent pressure, though that older backdrop is being overshadowed by the investigation news.
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm announced a securities class-action investigation into whether The Ensign Group issued materially misleading information to investors, adding to legal overhang. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Schall Law Firm opened a fraud investigation into ENSG, while Johnson Fistel and Levi & Korsinsky also launched separate securities-law reviews, increasing the chance of prolonged legal costs and uncertainty. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several June 9–10 alerts from Ademi LLP, Block & Leviton, SueWallSt, and Frank R. Cruz highlighted possible securities fraud tied to alleged misstatements about financials, operations, and the short-seller claims, reinforcing the bearish tone around the shares.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $151.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.70, a PEG ratio of 1.52 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $182.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.26. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The company 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 Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.