Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Grows Position in Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Key Points

• Tudor Investment Corp boosted its stake in Essent by 21.3%, adding 76,855 shares to hold 437,890 shares (0.45% of the company) valued at $27.8 million, and institutional investors now own about 93% of the stock.
• Essent raised its quarterly dividend to $0.35 (annualized $1.40) for a 2.4% yield, with an ex-dividend date of March 13 and payment on March 23.
• The firm missed quarterly EPS estimates ($1.60 vs. $1.74) while revenue was roughly in line, and analysts carry an average rating of Hold with a $68.43 average price target amid mixed recent revisions.

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 437,890 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 76,855 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned 0.45% of Essent Group worth $27,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ESNT. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Essent Group by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Essent Group by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 624 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in Essent Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $752,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ESNT. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $68.43.

Essent Group Price Performance

ESNT stock opened at $57.88 on Friday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $67.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.17. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.91.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $312.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $312.62 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 54.72% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Essent Group's payout ratio is 20.32%.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group Ltd. NYSE: ESNT is a publicly traded insurance holding company specializing in private mortgage insurance and mortgage reinsurance solutions. Through its primary subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides credit protection to mortgage lenders, helping mitigate the risk of borrower default on residential mortgage loans. Essent's insurance policies enable lenders to offer low-down-payment programs, supporting homebuyers in achieving homeownership with reduced upfront equity requirements.

Beyond traditional mortgage insurance, Essent offers a suite of risk management and analytics services designed to help financial institutions monitor and manage mortgage portfolios.

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