Susquehanna International Group LLP Buys 48,391 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Susquehanna International Group LLP raised its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 375.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 48,391 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP owned about 0.06% of Essent Group worth $3,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Essent Group by 154.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 208,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,431,000 after purchasing an additional 126,899 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $85,500,000 after purchasing an additional 19,387 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Essent Group by 39.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,207 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 60,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,294,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Essent Group by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 112,394 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,119,000 after buying an additional 26,537 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on ESNT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.71.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of ESNT traded down $0.19 on Friday, hitting $58.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 715,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 637,776. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.34. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $56.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.70 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. This is a positive change from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.13%.

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.