BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 7,201 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,037 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,201 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Essent Group were worth $2,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Essent Group by 29.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 445,012 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 25,883 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,409,000 after acquiring an additional 5,271 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 516,747 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,132,000 after acquiring an additional 27,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Essent Group by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,460,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $79,506,000 after acquiring an additional 146,557 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Stock Performance

Essent Group stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $59.07. 482,991 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 639,465. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34. The firm's 50 day moving average is $56.48 and its 200-day moving average is $56.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.64, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on ESNT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essent Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $106,744.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 253,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.80, for a total transaction of $179,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,624,467. This trade represents a 9.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,001 shares of company stock valued at $299,591 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

About Essent Group

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.