The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director John Agwunobi Sells 146 Shares

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Director John Agwunobi sold 146 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.31, for a total value of $26,033.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,620,302.97. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock traded down $2.89 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $174.99. The stock had a trading volume of 325,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 299,668. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $193.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $178.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.00. The company has a market cap of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.86.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.480-6.540 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 price objective (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Balance Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Balance Wealth LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,270 shares in the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $547,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 129,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,567,000 after acquiring an additional 16,853 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $1,508,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% 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.