Mark Casale Sells 798 Shares of Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) Stock

Key Points

• Essent Group CEO Mark Casale sold 798 shares at an average price of $70.01, generating $55,867.98. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and reduced his direct ownership by 0.04%.
• Casale has also sold more than 76,000 additional shares in transactions since late June, while continuing to hold approximately 2.04 million shares valued at about $142.7 million.
• Essent shares recently fell 1.1% to $68.41. The company reported quarterly earnings of $2.08 per share, announced a $0.35 quarterly dividend, and analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $71.86.

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) CEO Mark Casale sold 798 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.01, for a total transaction of $55,867.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,038,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,742,898.93. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Mark Casale also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, August 19th, Mark Casale sold 21,607 shares of Essent Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.07, for a total value of $1,514,002.49.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, Mark Casale sold 20,246 shares of Essent Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total value of $1,420,864.28.
• On Tuesday, July 7th, Mark Casale sold 29,329 shares of Essent Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.35, for a total value of $1,916,650.15.
• On Monday, July 6th, Mark Casale sold 1,245 shares of Essent Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.08, for a total value of $81,024.60.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Mark Casale sold 3,763 shares of Essent Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value of $244,632.63.

Essent Group Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of ESNT traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $68.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 453,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 562,710. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.18. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $55.34 and a 12-month high of $70.37. The stock has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 9.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.76. The company's 50 day moving average is $67.02 and its 200 day moving average is $62.47.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $362.69 million during the quarter. Essent Group had a return on equity of 11.91% and a net margin of 51.45%. Equities analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Essent Group's payout ratio is currently 19.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Essent Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Roth Capital raised their price objective on Essent Group from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Essent Group from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Essent Group from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.86.

Institutional Trading of Essent Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESNT. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Essent Group by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,238 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 16,584 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 38,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,499,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 1.2% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,801 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,324,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock.

About Essent Group

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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