Legato Capital Management LLC Sells 7,313 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Key Points

• Legato Capital Management reduced its stake in The Ensign Group by 52.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,313 shares and leaving it with 6,730 shares valued at about $1.17 million.
• The Ensign Group reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.85 per share, topping estimates, while revenue rose 18.4% year over year to $1.39 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $216.75, though some firms have recently mixed their ratings between buy and hold.

Legato Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 52.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,730 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,313 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 156.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 159 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 125.6% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 76.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $171.94 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.79 and a 52 week high of $218.00. The firm's fifty day moving average is $192.17 and its 200 day moving average is $188.64. The company has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.73.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. 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 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $222.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $216.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.65, for a total transaction of $137,655.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,152 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,356,190.80. The trade was a 3.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,721.15. The trade was 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,592 shares of company stock worth $512,364. 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.

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