Gabelli Funds LLC Has $8.57 Million Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Gabelli Funds LLC cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 42,543 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,972 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $8,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 156.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 55.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $172.99 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.58 and a 1 year high of $218.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.69. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Zacks Research downgraded The Ensign Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $215.00 to $202.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $213.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.00% 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.