Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons Sells 1,999 Shares

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $119,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 251,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,061,380. This represents a 0.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Mary Lourdes Gibbons also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, May 12th, Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of Essent Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $106,744.39.
• On Friday, May 9th, Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 224 shares of Essent Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $13,446.72.

Essent Group Price Performance

Essent Group stock traded down $0.99 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $60.25. 545,901 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 658,070. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $51.61 and a 12-month high of $65.34. The company has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.82, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $57.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.67.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $311.18 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 57.29%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essent Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 68.8% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Essent Group in the first quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Essent Group by 330.6% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,098 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ESNT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research reaffirmed 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 research report on Friday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.29.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.