Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,399,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 230,553 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 5.20% of Essent Group worth $311,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Essent Group during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 330.6% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,098 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 102.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 852 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ESNT. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 target price on shares of Essent Group and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Essent Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Compass Point reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $60.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.67.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Essent Group
Essent Group Stock Performance
Essent Group stock traded up $1.5390 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $63.6090. The company had a trading volume of 171,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 743,578. The firm has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Essent Group Ltd. has a one year low of $51.61 and a one year high of $65.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.94 and a 200 day moving average of $57.57.
Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $317.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.
Essent Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.10%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.79, for a total value of $146,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 27,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,608,788.35. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 3,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $233,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 247,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,315,426. The trade was a 1.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,950 shares of company stock worth $919,651. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.
About Essent Group
(
Free Report)
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.
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