Deutsche Bank AG Acquires 44,407 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,197 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 44,407 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.31% of Essent Group worth $18,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,367,101 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $673,265,000 after acquiring an additional 432,034 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Essent Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,168,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $281,382,000 after purchasing an additional 200,284 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,370,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $129,049,000 after purchasing an additional 221,950 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 45.9% during 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 period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 445,012 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ESNT traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $59.61. 55,065 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,801. Essent Group Ltd. has a one year low of $51.61 and a one year high of $65.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. The company's 50 day moving average is $56.48 and its 200 day moving average is $56.29.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. Essent Group's payout ratio is presently 18.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In related news, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 253,022 shares in the company, valued at $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,001 shares of company stock worth $299,591. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ESNT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. 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 research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Three investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.71.

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.