Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 3,002.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,801 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 103,358 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Essent Group worth $5,814,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,367,101 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $673,265,000 after acquiring an additional 432,034 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,168,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $281,382,000 after acquiring an additional 200,284 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,370,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,049,000 after acquiring an additional 221,950 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 45.9% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,228,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,343,000 after acquiring an additional 700,730 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,966,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $107,038,000 after buying an additional 445,012 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of Essent Group stock traded up $0.83 during trading on Friday, reaching $59.87. 630,962 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 640,660. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $65.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.28. The company has a market capitalization of $6.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $317.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $311.18 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 58.69% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Essent Group's payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,777 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.07, for a total transaction of $106,744.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 253,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,199,031.54. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Douglas J. Pauls sold 3,000 shares of Essent Group 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 27,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,624,467. The trade was a 9.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,001 shares of company stock valued at $299,591 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ESNT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essent Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.71.

Essent Group Company 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.