Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Invests $5.11 Million in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 93,923 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,113,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.09% of Essent Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,367,101 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $673,265,000 after buying an additional 432,034 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $281,382,000 after purchasing an additional 200,284 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Essent Group by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,370,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,049,000 after purchasing an additional 221,950 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in Essent Group by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,228,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $121,343,000 after buying an additional 700,730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 43.2% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,709,029 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $93,040,000 after purchasing an additional 515,171 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on ESNT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lowered Essent Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.71.

Essent Group Stock Performance

Essent Group stock traded up $1.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $58.56. The stock had a trading volume of 577,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 637,677. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.80. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $55.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.59.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.09). Essent Group had a net margin of 58.69% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The company had revenue of $315.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is 18.13%.

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.