Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Has $6.81 Million Holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lessened its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 78.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 125,142 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 443,014 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.12% of Essent Group worth $6,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Essent Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,364,000. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,228,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,343,000 after purchasing an additional 700,730 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 43.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,709,029 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $93,040,000 after purchasing an additional 515,171 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC increased its holdings in Essent Group by 144.8% in the fourth quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 846,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,065,000 after purchasing an additional 500,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Essent Group by 29.3% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,966,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $107,038,000 after buying an additional 445,012 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE ESNT opened at $58.53 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $56.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.37. The firm has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1-year low of $51.61 and a 1-year high of $65.34.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.03. Essent Group had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 58.69%. The company had revenue of $317.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $311.18 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 earnings per share. Essent Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ESNT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.71.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance and reinsurance for mortgages secured by residential properties located in the United States. Its mortgage insurance products include primary, pool, and master policy. The company also provides information technology maintenance and development services; customer support-related services; underwriting consulting; and contract underwriting services, as well as risk management products and title insurance and settlement services.

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