5,891 Shares in Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Purchased by Eisler Capital Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Eisler Capital Management Ltd. acquired 5,891 shares of Essent Group Ltd. valued at approximately $340,000 during the first quarter, reflecting continued institutional interest in the company.
• Essent Group reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.93, exceeding analyst expectations, and a revenue of $319.14 million, marking a 2.0% increase year-over-year.
• The firm has announced a $0.31 quarterly dividend to be paid on September 10th, with a dividend yield of 2.0% and a payout ratio of 18.10%.

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,891 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $340,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESNT. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,399,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $311,638,000 after acquiring an additional 230,553 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc lifted its position in Essent Group by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc now owns 2,700,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $146,988,000 after purchasing an additional 350,000 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 29.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,460,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $79,506,000 after purchasing an additional 146,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Essent Group by 1,272.6% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 970,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,044,000 after purchasing an additional 900,229 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 3,760 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $233,120.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 247,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,315,426. This trade represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.79, for a total transaction of $146,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,608,788.35. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,950 shares of company stock worth $919,651. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 price target on Essent Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Compass Point reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, August 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $60.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Essent Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.67.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of ESNT stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.27. The stock had a trading volume of 124,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 733,836. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $51.61 and a 12-month high of $65.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.81.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.25. Essent Group had a net margin of 56.36% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The firm had revenue of $319.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $317.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Essent Group's payout ratio is presently 18.10%.

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.