Radian Group Inc. $RDN Stock Holdings Lowered by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in Radian Group by 25.7%, selling 28,664 shares and ending the quarter with 83,085 shares worth about $2.99 million; overall institutional ownership stands at 95.33%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but slightly positive, with four Buy and four Hold ratings yielding a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.67; some firms (UBS, Barclays) trimmed targets while Bank of America upgraded to Buy.
• Radian beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.16 vs. $1.11) with revenue roughly in line at $300.51 million, reported a strong net margin (~47%), and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.255 (annualized $1.02, ~2.7% yield).

Vest Financial LLC reduced its holdings in Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN - Free Report) by 25.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 83,085 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 28,664 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.06% of Radian Group worth $2,990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Radian Group by 102.4% in the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 12,948 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 6,550 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its holdings in shares of Radian Group by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 138,930 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $5,000,000 after purchasing an additional 8,010 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP bought a new stake in shares of Radian Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,135,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in shares of Radian Group by 59.5% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 239,396 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,624,000 after purchasing an additional 89,311 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Radian Group by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 44,596 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 5,303 shares during the period. 95.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RDN. UBS Group decreased their price target on Radian Group from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Radian Group from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Radian Group in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Bank of America upgraded Radian Group from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Radian Group from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Radian Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.67.

Radian Group Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of Radian Group stock opened at $37.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 3.40 and a quick ratio of 3.40. Radian Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.32 and a 52-week high of $38.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.35.

Radian Group (NYSE:RDN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $300.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.45 million. Radian Group had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 46.99%.The firm's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Radian Group Inc. will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Radian Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Radian Group's payout ratio is currently 24.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Edward J. Hoffman sold 15,000 shares of Radian Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $540,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 123,708 shares in the company, valued at $4,453,488. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,000 shares of company stock worth $1,065,000. 2.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Radian Group Company Profile

Radian Group Inc NYSE: RDN is a leading provider of private mortgage insurance and related risk management solutions in the United States. Through its primary subsidiary, Radian Guaranty Inc, the company underwrites borrower-paid and lender-paid mortgage insurance that protects lenders and investors from potential losses arising from borrower defaults. Radian's core business focuses on supporting residential mortgage originations and servicing by offering capital-efficient credit protection and credit risk transfer strategies.

Beyond mortgage insurance, Radian offers an array of real estate transaction services under its Radian Title division.

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