Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 47.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 168,214 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 54,284 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.16% of Essent Group worth $9,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESNT. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 4.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,399,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $311,638,000 after purchasing an additional 230,553 shares in the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 14.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 29.3% during the fourth 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 position in shares of Essent Group by 11.2% during the fourth 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. boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 1,272.6% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 970,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,044,000 after purchasing an additional 900,229 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Essent Group
In other news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,608,788.35. The trade was a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director William Spiegel sold 6,451 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.74, for a total value of $404,735.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,647,050.48. This represents a 19.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,950 shares of company stock worth $919,651 over the last quarter. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Essent Group Stock Down 0.3%
NYSE:ESNT traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.73. 439,441 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 603,043. The business's 50-day moving average price is $59.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.82. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $51.61 and a 1 year high of $65.33. 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 (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $319.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $317.46 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 56.36%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.
Essent Group Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Essent Group's payout ratio is presently 18.10%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ESNT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 price target on Essent Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Essent Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Compass Point restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.67.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Essent Group
Essent Group Company Profile
(
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.
Featured Stories
Before you consider Essent Group, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Essent Group wasn't on the list.
While Essent Group currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
