Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases New Shares in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

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

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 102.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 8.2% during 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. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essent Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESNT traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 346,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 646,261. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $56.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.50. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.45, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $317.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.80, for a total transaction of $179,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,165 shares in the company, valued at $1,624,467. This trade represents a 9.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of the firm'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 of the company's stock, valued at $15,199,031.54. This trade represents 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 worth $299,591. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.