Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Shares Acquired by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 347,164 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,016 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.33% of Essent Group worth $20,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,367,101 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $673,265,000 after acquiring an additional 432,034 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Essent Group by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,168,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $281,382,000 after purchasing an additional 200,284 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc raised its position in shares of Essent Group by 14.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,370,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $129,049,000 after buying an additional 221,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,228,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,343,000 after buying an additional 700,730 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ESNT traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $60.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 573,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 660,874. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1-year low of $51.61 and a 1-year high of $65.34. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $58.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.83. The firm has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.81.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 57.29% and a return on equity of 12.98%. Essent Group's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given 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 yield of 2.04%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,608,788.35. The trade was a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $119,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 251,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,061,380. This represents a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,500 shares of company stock worth $566,506 in the last three months. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point set a $69.00 target price on shares of Essent Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.29.

Essent Group Company 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.