The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 14.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 185,708 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,242 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.32% of The Ensign Group worth $37,420,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $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 buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ensign reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.92, exceeding the $1.80 consensus estimate and rising 20.8% year over year. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.68, up 16.7%, while revenue increased 17.3% to $1.44 billion. Ensign Group Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 guidance to $7.75–$7.85 EPS from $7.48–$7.62 and revenue of $5.87–$5.92 billion from $5.81–$5.86 billion. The EPS midpoint is above the reported $7.41 consensus estimate, signaling confidence in continued growth. Ensign Signals Confidence with Higher 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Operating trends were favorable: same-facility occupancy reached 84.1%, skilled-mix revenue rose 10.1%, and the company added 20 operations. Ensign also reported $262.3 million in cash, $591.6 million of credit capacity, and continued its quarterly $0.065 dividend. The Ensign Group Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported analyst consensus price target is $213.50, implying potential upside based on recent trading levels, but only limited analyst coverage was cited. A results conference call is scheduled for July 29.
• Negative Sentiment: Kaplan Fox and Rosen Law Firm announced investigations into possible securities-law violations and allegedly misleading investor communications. These announcements do not establish wrongdoing, but they could increase legal, reputational, and shareholder-litigation risk. Kaplan Fox Ensign Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Management cautioned that guidance depends on acquisitions closing, reimbursement rates, insurance costs, and improving recently acquired facilities, many of which have below-average occupancy and operational challenges.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director owned 21,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price target on 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 lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $178.07 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $141.58 and a 52 week high of $218.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $165.33 and a 200-day moving average of $183.89.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The business's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-7.850 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.23%.

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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