Walleye Capital LLC Buys 500,494 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Walleye Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 144.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 846,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 500,494 shares during the quarter. Essent Group accounts for about 0.1% of Walleye Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Walleye Capital LLC owned approximately 0.80% of Essent Group worth $46,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Essent Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 53.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Essent Group during the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Essent Group by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Stock Up 0.8 %

ESNT traded up $0.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $55.05. 856,680 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 636,027. The company has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.05, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.05. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $315.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $313.88 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 58.69% and a return on equity of 13.35%. Essent Group's revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. This is a boost from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is 18.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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. Barclays lowered Essent Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Essent Group from $71.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.71.

Essent Group 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.