40,051 Shares in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Purchased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 40,051 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,180,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESNT. NFC Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in Essent Group by 68.8% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $2,584,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the business'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 transaction of $179,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 27,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,624,467. The trade was a 9.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 253,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,199,031.54. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,001 shares of company stock valued at $299,591 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ESNT traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $57.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 564,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 645,118. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $65.34.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 posted $1.70 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ESNT shares. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Compass Point set a $69.00 price target on Essent Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.29.

Essent Group 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.