Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Cuts Holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its holdings in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 17.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,897 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Essent Group were worth $2,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESNT. NFC Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. NFC Investments LLC now owns 56,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,086,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Essent Group by 20.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in Essent Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 39,301 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,268,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in Essent Group by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In related news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,999 shares of Essent Group 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 251,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,061,380. The trade was a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the company'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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,740 shares of company stock valued at $581,386. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Essent Group Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE ESNT traded up $0.78 on Thursday, reaching $61.90. The stock had a trading volume of 339,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,384. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.89. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $51.61 and a 12-month high of $65.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.81.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 57.29%. The firm had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ESNT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.