Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $25.54 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,833 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,977 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $25,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 33.4% during the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 45,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,090,000 after buying an additional 11,496 shares in the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $970,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $594,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 378.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 17,677 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 96.2% during the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,818,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382,035 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $197.80 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $177.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.69. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $201.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.88.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.410-7.610 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. UBS Group set a $230.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price (up previously from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial set a $215.00 price target on The Ensign Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised The Ensign Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.40.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 146 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.31, for a total value of $26,033.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,620,302.97. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,209 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $397,620.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 51,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,209,700. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 50,315 shares of company stock worth $9,013,767. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

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.