Mackenzie Financial Corp Has $2.07 Million Stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Mackenzie Financial Corp decreased its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,058 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,468 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp's holdings in Essent Group were worth $2,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ESNT. NFC Investments LLC lifted its position in Essent Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. NFC Investments LLC now owns 56,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,086,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in Essent Group by 68.8% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 47,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,584,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Compass Point set a $69.00 price target on Essent Group and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.29.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ESNT traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $57.41. The stock had a trading volume of 564,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 646,023. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $56.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.47. Essent Group Ltd. has a twelve month low of $51.61 and a twelve month high of $65.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.39, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 13.35% and a net margin of 58.69%. The business had revenue of $317.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $311.18 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Essent Group's payout ratio is 18.16%.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In other news, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.80, for a total value of $179,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,624,467. This trade represents a 9.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $106,744.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 253,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their position. 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. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

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.