Bard Associates Inc. Invests $7.93 Million in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Bard Associates initiated a $7.93 million position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter, purchasing 49,450 shares, or about 0.08% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 96.12% of ENSG.
• The Ensign Group reported quarterly EPS of $1.92, beating estimates by $0.12, while revenue rose 16.7% year over year to $1.44 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $216.25.
• ENSG shares opened at $179.48, near the midpoint of their 52-week range, after recently trading down 0.2%. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.065 per share, representing a 0.1% annualized yield.

Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 49,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,930,000. The Ensign Group comprises about 1.8% of Bard Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Bard Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of The Ensign Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 156.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 55.0% in the fourth 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. Bayban acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ENSG. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $202.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $228.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered The Ensign Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.25.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $67,055.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,625,583.18. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $179.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $141.58 and a one year high of $218.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $171.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.12. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 6.90%.The company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 EPS. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.08%.

The Ensign Group Company 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.

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