KBC Group NV Has $4.78 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

KBC Group NV raised its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1,368.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,743 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,126 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $4,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.1% during the fourth 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 period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth about $134,660,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $78,840,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 264.9% during the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 259,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,373,000 after purchasing an additional 188,679 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ENSG. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered The Ensign Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $213.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the director directly owned 21,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,507,706.56. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $167.52 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $136.93 and a 1-year high of $218.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $165.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.93. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 27.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.69. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.065 dividend. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.