Bayview Asset Management LLC Sells 5,200 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Bayview Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,200 shares during the period. Essent Group comprises approximately 0.5% of Bayview Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Bayview Asset Management LLC's holdings in Essent Group were worth $670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ESNT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 432,034 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 200,284 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its position 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 worth $129,049,000 after purchasing an additional 221,950 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in shares of Essent Group by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,228,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $121,343,000 after buying an additional 700,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $107,038,000 after buying an additional 445,012 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ESNT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.71.

Essent Group Stock Down 0.2 %

ESNT traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $58.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 387,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 794,054. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $55.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Essent Group's payout ratio is 18.13%.

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.