Insider Selling: The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director Sells 700 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Ensign Group director Barry Smith sold 700 shares on June 2 at an average price of $164.28, totaling about $115,000. The sale reduced his holdings by 3.17% and was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Stock and earnings backdrop: ENSG shares were down to about $164.29, well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, though revenue came in slightly below expectations.
• Analyst and dividend outlook: Wall Street remains generally positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $216.75. Ensign also pays a small quarterly dividend, yielding about 0.2% annually.

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock traded down $2.39 on Thursday, reaching $164.29. The stock had a trading volume of 643,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,821. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.68. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.79 and a 1 year high of $218.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 6.89%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 260.5% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 29,026 shares of the company's stock worth $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 20,975 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 54,336 shares of the company's stock worth $9,465,000 after purchasing an additional 18,699 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,612 shares of the company's stock worth $9,781,000 after purchasing an additional 8,056 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,508,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 331,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,290,000 after purchasing an additional 7,495 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $222.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research downgraded The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $216.75.

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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