Key Points
- Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares at an average price of $171.54 on Feb. 2, reducing his ownership by 2.89% to 23,552 shares; the transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Ensign delivered record FY‑2025 results and beat Q4 EPS estimates, then issued aggressive FY‑2026 guidance of $7.41–$7.61 in EPS and about $5.77–$5.84B in revenue.
- Market sentiment is broadly constructive — five Buy and one Hold from analysts with a $196.40 consensus target and ~96% institutional ownership, though recent insider selling has raised some investor concern.
The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) Director Barry Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.54, for a total transaction of $120,078.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,040,110.08. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.
The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.2%
Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $173.18 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $193.99. The business's fifty day moving average is $176.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.10. The firm has a market cap of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 30.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.
The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.77%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.
The Ensign Group Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Ensign Group
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 4,569,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $795,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750,645 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $105,400,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $78,840,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 195.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 513,328 shares of the company's stock worth $88,688,000 after purchasing an additional 339,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,558,675 shares of the company's stock worth $548,961,000 after purchasing an additional 199,983 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have commented on ENSG. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.40.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on The Ensign Group
Key Headlines Impacting The Ensign Group
Here are the key news stories impacting The Ensign Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Ensign reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $1.82, topping consensus and up materially vs. a year ago; adjusted results and margins showed healthy improvement, supporting valuation. Ensign Group (ENSG) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Aggressive FY‑2026 guidance — management raised annual EPS guidance to $7.41–$7.61 (well above consensus ~$6.93) and issued revenue guidance ~ $5.77–$5.84B, signaling confidence in organic growth and acquisitions. That guidance is a key bullish driver. The Ensign Group Reports Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Results; Issues 2026 Guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Record operating performance — FY‑2025 revenue and adjusted EPS set records, Medicare revenue, skilled days and occupancy all improved; liquidity remains strong (~$504M cash + ~$592M available), which supports further M&A and dividend continuity. The Ensign Group Reports Record Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results
- Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing acquisition activity — multiple small-to-mid acquisitions announced (Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin) that expand footprint and revenue base; these are accretive over time but require onboarding execution. The Ensign Group Acquires Real Estate and Operations in Texas
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive — recent buy/outperform calls and mid‑$200s price targets indicate upside for investors who buy the growth story; but targets are contingent on guidance execution. Assessing Ensign Group (ENSG) Valuation After Recent Moves
- Negative Sentiment: Revenue slight miss vs. near-term estimates — Q4 service revenue ~$1.36B was marginally below some analyst expectations (~$1.37B), which capped upside despite the EPS beat. Q4 Press Release (PDF)
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — director Barry M. Smith disclosed a sale of 700 shares; Quiver/insider-trade data also shows multiple recent insider sales across executives, which can concern some investors about near-term sentiment. Director Insider Sale Filing
The Ensign Group Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
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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