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Essent Group (ESNT) Competitors

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$57.39 -0.05 (-0.08%)
Closing price 06/5/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$57.99 +0.60 (+1.05%)
As of 05:22 AM Eastern
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ESNT vs. ACT, NMIH, FAF, FNB, and FNF

Should you buy Essent Group stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Essent Group with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Essent Group include Enact (ACT), NMI (NMIH), First American Financial (FAF), F.N.B. (FNB), and Fidelity National Financial (FNF). These companies are all part of the "finance" sector.

How does Essent Group compare to Enact?

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

Enact has a net margin of 54.49% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 53.64%. Enact's return on equity of 13.02% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
Enact 54.49%13.02%10.05%

In the previous week, Essent Group had 9 more articles in the media than Enact. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Essent Group and 0 mentions for Enact. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat Enact's score of 0.00 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Essent Group Positive
Enact Neutral

Essent Group currently has a consensus target price of $66.43, suggesting a potential upside of 15.74%. Given Essent Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Essent Group is more favorable than Enact.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40
Enact
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00

Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Enact has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the broader market.

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
Essent Group$1.31B4.05$689.97M$7.028.18
Enact$1.24B4.72$674.24M$4.619.07

Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Enact pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Enact pays out 20.8% 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 Enact has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Essent Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.0% of Enact shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Enact shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Essent Group beats Enact on 14 of the 19 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 analyst recommendations, media sentiment, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, risk, profitability and dividends.

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$716.67M3.87$388.93M$4.917.44
Essent Group$1.31B4.05$689.97M$7.028.18

NMI currently has a consensus price target of $44.80, indicating a potential upside of 22.57%. Essent Group has a consensus price target of $66.43, indicating a potential upside of 15.74%. Given NMI's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities 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)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.80
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

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

NMI has a beta of 0.55, indicating that its share price is 45% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 4 more articles in the media than NMI. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Essent Group and 5 mentions for NMI. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat NMI's score of 0.25 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

NMI has a net margin of 53.82% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 53.64%. NMI's return on equity of 15.18% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
NMI53.82% 15.18% 10.23%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

Summary

Essent Group beats NMI on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to First American Financial?

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

First American Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. First American Financial pays out 33.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Essent Group pays out 19.9% 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. First American Financial has raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years and Essent Group has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years. First American Financial is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 2 more articles in the media than First American Financial. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Essent Group and 7 mentions for First American Financial. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat First American Financial's score of 0.80 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First American Financial
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% compared to First American Financial's net margin of 8.73%. First American Financial's return on equity of 12.58% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First American Financial8.73% 12.58% 3.98%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First American Financial$7.45B0.92$621.80M$6.5110.29
Essent Group$1.31B4.05$689.97M$7.028.18

First American Financial has a beta of 1.24, indicating that its share price is 24% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the broader market.

First American Financial presently has a consensus target price of $82.50, indicating a potential upside of 23.19%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $66.43, indicating a potential upside of 15.74%. Given First American Financial's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe First American Financial is more favorable than Essent Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First American Financial
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.14
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

89.1% of First American Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. 3.5% of First American Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

First American Financial and Essent Group tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to F.N.B.?

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

In the previous week, Essent Group had 7 more articles in the media than F.N.B.. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Essent Group and 2 mentions for F.N.B.. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat F.N.B.'s score of 0.00 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
F.N.B.
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its share price is 22% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, F.N.B. has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% compared to F.N.B.'s net margin of 21.64%. Essent Group's return on equity of 12.01% beat F.N.B.'s return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
F.N.B. 21.64%8.94%1.19%

Essent Group presently has a consensus price target of $66.43, indicating a potential upside of 15.74%. F.N.B. has a consensus price target of $20.20, indicating a potential upside of 14.16%. Given Essent Group's higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Essent Group is more favorable than F.N.B..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40
F.N.B.
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Essent Group$1.31B4.05$689.97M$7.028.18
F.N.B.$1.80B3.49$565M$1.6210.92

93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.3% of F.N.B. shares are held by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of F.N.B. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company 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 2.4%. F.N.B. pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. F.N.B. pays out 32.1% 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.

Summary

Essent Group beats F.N.B. on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Essent Group compare to Fidelity National Financial?

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

Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Fidelity National Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Fidelity National Financial pays out 75.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Essent Group has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Fidelity National Financial has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Essent Group$1.31B4.05$689.97M$7.028.18
Fidelity National Financial$14.59B0.87$602M$2.7417.29

Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, suggesting that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Fidelity National Financial has a beta of 0.96, suggesting that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the broader market.

93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.2% of Fidelity National Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Fidelity National Financial shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Essent Group presently has a consensus price target of $66.43, suggesting a potential upside of 15.74%. Fidelity National Financial has a consensus price target of $56.25, suggesting a potential upside of 18.76%. Given Fidelity National Financial's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Fidelity National Financial is more favorable than Essent Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40
Fidelity National Financial
1 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

In the previous week, Essent Group had 4 more articles in the media than Fidelity National Financial. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Essent Group and 5 mentions for Fidelity National Financial. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat Fidelity National Financial's score of 0.86 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Fidelity National Financial
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% compared to Fidelity National Financial's net margin of 5.10%. Fidelity National Financial's return on equity of 15.49% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
Fidelity National Financial 5.10%15.49%1.29%

Summary

Essent Group beats Fidelity National Financial 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 GroupINS IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$5.29B$58.38B$13.53B$23.04B
Dividend Yield2.45%1.92%5.79%4.09%
P/E Ratio8.1810.4819.9130.25
Price / Sales4.051.63136.1322.22
Price / Cash7.8212.1319.1518.46
Price / Book0.961.942.184.62
Net Income$689.97M$4.24B$1.13B$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.13%2.32%-0.12%-1.82%
1 Month Performance-9.07%-0.38%-0.61%-1.22%
1 Year Performance-0.75%4.10%10.74%21.20%

Essent Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ESNT
Essent Group
4.7352 of 5 stars
$57.39
-0.1%
$66.43
+15.7%
-0.7%$5.29B$1.31B8.18350
ACT
Enact
N/A$41.28
-1.2%
$35.00
-15.2%
+20.7%$5.83B$1.24B8.93500
NMIH
NMI
4.4065 of 5 stars
$35.91
+0.0%
$44.80
+24.8%
-8.2%$2.73B$716.67M7.31234
FAF
First American Financial
4.9586 of 5 stars
$65.18
-1.6%
$82.50
+26.6%
+18.8%$6.60B$7.70B10.0419,102
FNB
F.N.B.
3.9579 of 5 stars
$17.35
-0.8%
$20.20
+16.5%
+25.8%$6.22B$1.80B10.624,282

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This page (NYSE:ESNT) was last updated on 6/8/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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