Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp sharply increased its stake in The Ensign Group, boosting holdings by 2,050.7% in the first quarter to 26,153 shares, worth about $5.27 million.
• The Ensign Group reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.85 per share, while revenue rose 18.4% year over year to $1.39 billion. The company also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of $7.48 to $7.62.
• The stock was trading lower and analysts remain mixed, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $213.50. Recent insider activity included sales by two directors under pre-arranged trading plans.

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2,050.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,153 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,937 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $5,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 156.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 172 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayban purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $171.28 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $134.79 and a 1-year high of $218.00. The company has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.01.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The firm's 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial decreased their target price on The Ensign Group from $215.00 to $202.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $213.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total value of $78,388.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,721.15. This represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total transaction of $114,996.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. The trade was a 3.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,792 shares of company stock worth $320,931. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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