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

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $119,940.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 251,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,061,380. The trade was a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

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

Essent Group Stock Up 0.2%

ESNT stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $60.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,584,219 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,227. The firm has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.81. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1-year low of $51.61 and a 1-year high of $65.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.77.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $311.18 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 57.29%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essent Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 68.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point set a $69.00 price target on Essent Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essent Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.