Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 9,493.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 112,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 111,552 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.11% of Essent Group worth $6,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in Essent Group in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 68.8% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Essent Group by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its position in Essent Group by 102.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 852 shares during the period. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essent Group Price Performance

ESNT traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $58.51. 592,585 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 647,126. The business's 50-day moving average price is $56.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 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.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.03. Essent Group had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 58.69%. The company had revenue of $317.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. Essent Group's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Essent Group's payout ratio is 18.16%.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.80, for a total value of $179,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,624,467. The trade was a 9.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total value of $106,744.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 253,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,001 shares of company stock valued at $299,591. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESNT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of 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 objective on shares of Essent Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.