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Essent Group (ESNT) Competitors

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$69.32 -0.27 (-0.38%)
Closing price 08/27/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$69.50 +0.18 (+0.26%)
As of 05:54 AM Eastern
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ESNT vs. ACT, HWC, NMIH, UBSI, and CNO

Should you buy Essent Group stock or one of its competitors? Essent Group's main competitors and comparable companies include Enact (ACT), Hancock Whitney (HWC), NMI (NMIH), United Bankshares (UBSI), and CNO Financial Group (CNO). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size.

How does Essent Group compare to Enact?

Enact (NASDAQ:ACT) and Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) are related mid-cap companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, risk, dividends, valuation, media sentiment and earnings.

Essent Group has higher revenue and earnings than Enact. Essent Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Enact, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Enact$1.25B5.46$674.24M$4.7510.32
Essent Group$1.26B4.94$689.97M$7.179.67

In the previous week, Essent Group had 12 more articles in the media than Enact. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 1 mentions for Enact. Enact's average media sentiment score of 1.89 beat Essent Group's score of 0.87 indicating that Enact is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Enact Very Positive
Essent Group Positive

Essent Group has a consensus price target of $71.86, suggesting a potential upside of 3.66%. Given Essent Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Essent Group is more favorable than Enact.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Enact
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

Enact has a net margin of 54.51% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 51.45%. Enact's return on equity of 12.98% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Enact54.51% 12.98% 10.04%
Essent Group 51.45%11.91%9.09%

Enact has a beta of 0.49, suggesting that its share price is 51% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its share price is 24% less volatile than the broader market.

18.0% of Enact shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Enact shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Enact pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Enact pays out 20.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Essent Group pays out 19.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Enact has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Essent Group has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Essent Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Essent Group beats Enact on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to Hancock Whitney?

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) and Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, media sentiment, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

Essent Group has a net margin of 51.45% compared to Hancock Whitney's net margin of 21.81%. Essent Group's return on equity of 11.91% beat Hancock Whitney's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group51.45% 11.91% 9.09%
Hancock Whitney 21.81%11.36%1.41%

Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Hancock Whitney has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the broader market.

93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.2% of Hancock Whitney shares are held by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Hancock Whitney shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Hancock Whitney pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Essent Group pays out 19.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Hancock Whitney pays out 39.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Essent Group has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Hancock Whitney has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

Essent Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Hancock Whitney. Essent Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hancock Whitney, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Essent Group$1.26B4.94$689.97M$7.179.67
Hancock Whitney$2.02B2.98$486.07M$5.1014.71

In the previous week, Hancock Whitney had 1 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Hancock Whitney and 13 mentions for Essent Group. Hancock Whitney's average media sentiment score of 1.31 beat Essent Group's score of 0.87 indicating that Hancock Whitney is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Essent Group
11 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Hancock Whitney
12 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Essent Group currently has a consensus target price of $71.86, indicating a potential upside of 3.66%. Hancock Whitney has a consensus target price of $83.78, indicating a potential upside of 11.70%. Given Hancock Whitney's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hancock Whitney is more favorable than Essent Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38
Hancock Whitney
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.82

Summary

Essent Group and Hancock Whitney tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to NMI?

NMI (NASDAQ:NMIH) and Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.

NMI has a net margin of 54.10% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 51.45%. NMI's return on equity of 15.13% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
NMI54.10% 15.13% 10.21%
Essent Group 51.45%11.91%9.09%

NMI has a beta of 0.54, indicating that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the broader market.

94.1% of NMI shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of NMI shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Essent Group has higher revenue and earnings than NMI. NMI is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Essent Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
NMI$706.44M4.77$388.93M$5.088.82
Essent Group$1.26B4.94$689.97M$7.179.67

NMI currently has a consensus target price of $48.33, indicating a potential upside of 7.89%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $71.86, indicating a potential upside of 3.66%. Given NMI's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe NMI is more favorable than Essent Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
NMI
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

In the previous week, Essent Group had 8 more articles in the media than NMI. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 5 mentions for NMI. NMI's average media sentiment score of 0.97 beat Essent Group's score of 0.87 indicating that NMI is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
NMI
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Essent Group
11 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

NMI and Essent Group tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to United Bankshares?

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) and United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.8% of United Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of United Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Essent Group has a net margin of 51.45% compared to United Bankshares' net margin of 27.97%. Essent Group's return on equity of 11.91% beat United Bankshares' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group51.45% 11.91% 9.09%
United Bankshares 27.97%9.39%1.53%

Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. United Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Essent Group pays out 19.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. United Bankshares pays out 41.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Essent Group has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years and United Bankshares has raised its dividend for 26 consecutive years. United Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Essent Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than United Bankshares. Essent Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than United Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Essent Group$1.26B4.94$689.97M$7.179.67
United Bankshares$1.82B3.55$464.60M$3.6712.94

In the previous week, United Bankshares had 4 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 17 mentions for United Bankshares and 13 mentions for Essent Group. United Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat Essent Group's score of 0.87 indicating that United Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Essent Group
11 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
United Bankshares
13 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its share price is 24% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, United Bankshares has a beta of 0.71, meaning that its share price is 29% less volatile than the broader market.

Essent Group presently has a consensus price target of $71.86, suggesting a potential upside of 3.66%. United Bankshares has a consensus price target of $47.80, suggesting a potential upside of 0.65%. Given Essent Group's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Essent Group is more favorable than United Bankshares.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38
United Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43

Summary

Essent Group beats United Bankshares on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to CNO Financial Group?

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) and Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Essent Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than CNO Financial Group. Essent Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CNO Financial Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
CNO Financial Group$4.49B1.14$229.30M$2.9118.97
Essent Group$1.26B4.94$689.97M$7.179.67

Essent Group has a net margin of 51.45% compared to CNO Financial Group's net margin of 6.02%. CNO Financial Group's return on equity of 18.76% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
CNO Financial Group6.02% 18.76% 1.24%
Essent Group 51.45%11.91%9.09%

CNO Financial Group has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the broader market.

95.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

CNO Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. CNO Financial Group pays out 24.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Essent Group pays out 19.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. CNO Financial Group has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Essent Group has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. Essent Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

CNO Financial Group currently has a consensus price target of $56.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1.44%. Essent Group has a consensus price target of $71.86, suggesting a potential upside of 3.66%. Given Essent Group's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Essent Group is more favorable than CNO Financial Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
CNO Financial Group
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.38

In the previous week, Essent Group had 3 more articles in the media than CNO Financial Group. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 10 mentions for CNO Financial Group. CNO Financial Group's average media sentiment score of 1.55 beat Essent Group's score of 0.87 indicating that CNO Financial Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
CNO Financial Group
9 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
Essent Group
11 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Essent Group beats CNO Financial Group on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding ESNT and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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ESNT vs. The Competition

MetricEssent GroupFinancial Services IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$6.25B$27.36B$14.08B$24.32B
Dividend Yield2.01%6.05%5.90%3.71%
P/E Ratio9.6720.0826.7130.24
Price / Sales4.94436.03523.5217.48
Price / Cash9.48160.0339.1433.18
Price / Book1.103.202.197.68
Net Income$689.97M$1.09B$1.31B$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.80%9.31%1.03%-0.30%
1 Month Performance2.84%12.47%2.29%1.63%
1 Year Performance10.19%-1.74%11.48%14.07%

Essent Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ESNT
Essent Group
3.8179 of 5 stars
$69.32
-0.4%
$71.86
+3.7%
+8.9%$6.25B$1.26B9.67350
ACT
Enact
N/A$49.32
-0.8%
$35.00
-29.0%
+28.6%$6.89B$1.25B10.38500
HWC
Hancock Whitney
4.0113 of 5 stars
$74.30
-0.8%
$83.78
+12.8%
+18.1%$5.96B$2.02B14.583,627
NMIH
NMI
2.5341 of 5 stars
$45.19
-0.6%
$48.33
+7.0%
+12.9%$3.39B$706.44M8.87234
UBSI
United Bankshares
3.4172 of 5 stars
$47.46
-0.7%
$47.80
+0.7%
+22.8%$6.47B$1.82B12.942,694

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This page (NYSE:ESNT) was last updated on 8/28/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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