Nomura Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 14,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $766,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESNT. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its holdings in Essent Group by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Essent Group by 53.3% during the 4th 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 during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Essent Group in the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ESNT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.29.

Essent Group Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE ESNT traded down $0.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $57.56. 897,666 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 645,750. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $56.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.38.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Essent Group's payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total value of $106,744.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 253,022 shares in the company, valued at $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 27,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,624,467. The trade was a 9.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,001 shares of company stock worth $299,591 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

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.