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Essent Group (ESNT) Competitors

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$63.68 +1.83 (+2.95%)
Closing price 06/26/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$64.50 +0.82 (+1.29%)
As of 06/26/2026 07:58 PM Eastern
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ESNT vs. ACT, NMIH, CNO, FAF, and FNB

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), CNO Financial Group (CNO), First American Financial (FAF), and F.N.B. (FNB). These companies are all part of the "finance" sector.

How does Essent Group compare to Enact?

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

Enact pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Enact pays out 20.8% 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. 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.

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$1.24B5.11$674.24M$4.619.81
Essent Group$1.26B4.65$689.97M$7.029.07

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

Essent Group has a consensus target price of $66.57, suggesting a potential upside of 4.55%. Given Essent Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly 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)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

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
Enact54.49% 13.02% 10.05%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

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 hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 3 more articles in the media than Enact. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Essent Group and 2 mentions for Enact. Enact's average media sentiment score of 0.94 beat Essent Group's score of 0.54 indicating that Enact is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Summary

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

How does Essent Group compare to NMI?

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

In the previous week, NMI had 1 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 6 mentions for NMI and 5 mentions for Essent Group. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat NMI's score of 0.35 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
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
NMI
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

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
Essent Group$1.26B4.65$689.97M$7.029.07
NMI$706.44M4.37$388.93M$4.918.27

Essent Group currently has a consensus price target of $66.57, indicating a potential upside of 4.55%. NMI has a consensus price target of $45.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.78%. Given NMI's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe NMI 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
NMI
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.80

93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.1% of NMI shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of NMI shares are owned 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.

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
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
NMI 53.82%15.18%10.23%

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

Summary

Essent Group beats NMI on 8 of the 15 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 stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership and risk.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 3 more articles in the media than CNO Financial Group. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Essent Group and 2 mentions for CNO Financial Group. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat CNO Financial Group's score of 0.33 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
CNO Financial Group
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
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

CNO Financial Group currently has a consensus target price of $48.75, indicating a potential downside of 7.17%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $66.57, indicating a potential upside of 4.55%. Given Essent Group's higher probable upside, analysts plainly 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)
2 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.60
Essent Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

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$4.49B1.09$229.30M$2.4921.09
Essent Group$1.26B4.65$689.97M$7.029.07

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 1.4%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. CNO Financial Group pays out 28.9% 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. CNO Financial Group has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and Essent Group has raised 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 has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its share price is 19% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its share price is 22% less volatile than the broader market.

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% compared to CNO Financial Group's net margin of 5.44%. CNO Financial Group's return on equity of 17.65% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
CNO Financial Group5.44% 17.65% 1.18%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

Summary

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

How does Essent Group compare to First American Financial?

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

Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. First American Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First American Financial pays out 33.8% 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 increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years and First American Financial has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years. First American Financial 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, 89.1% of First American Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.6% of Essent Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.5% of First American Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Essent Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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
Essent Group$1.26B4.65$689.97M$7.029.07
First American Financial$7.45B0.92$621.80M$6.5110.30

In the previous week, First American Financial had 11 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 16 mentions for First American Financial and 5 mentions for Essent Group. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat First American Financial's score of -0.12 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
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
First American Financial
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

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

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
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
First American Financial 8.73%12.58%3.98%

Essent Group currently has a consensus price target of $66.57, suggesting a potential upside of 4.55%. First American Financial has a consensus price target of $83.25, suggesting a potential upside of 24.18%. Given First American Financial's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First American 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
First American Financial
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86

Summary

First American Financial beats Essent Group on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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

F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB) and Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) 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, media sentiment, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Essent Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings 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
F.N.B.$2.69B2.54$565M$1.6211.87
Essent Group$1.26B4.65$689.97M$7.029.07

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

F.N.B. pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Essent Group pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. F.N.B. pays out 32.1% 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. Essent Group has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 3 more articles in the media than F.N.B.. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Essent Group and 2 mentions for F.N.B.. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat F.N.B.'s score of 0.33 indicating that Essent Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
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
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

79.3% of F.N.B. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of F.N.B. 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.

F.N.B. presently has a consensus target price of $20.40, indicating a potential upside of 6.06%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $66.57, indicating a potential upside of 4.55%. Given F.N.B.'s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe F.N.B. is more favorable than Essent Group.

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

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
F.N.B.21.64% 8.94% 1.19%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

Summary

Essent Group beats F.N.B. 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$5.90B$60.03B$13.90B$23.31B
Dividend Yield2.19%1.81%5.69%4.07%
P/E Ratio9.0711.3320.4831.64
Price / Sales4.651.76134.8521.37
Price / Cash8.7213.0819.6824.80
Price / Book1.072.092.264.74
Net Income$689.97M$4.24B$1.14B$1.07B
7 Day Performance9.00%5.67%0.90%0.99%
1 Month Performance9.07%9.26%1.41%0.46%
1 Year Performance4.94%12.33%15.38%25.30%

Essent Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ESNT
Essent Group
3.8384 of 5 stars
$63.68
+3.0%
$66.57
+4.5%
+4.9%$5.90B$1.26B9.07350
ACT
Enact
N/A$43.40
+1.6%
$35.00
-19.4%
+23.0%$6.06B$1.24B9.41500
NMIH
NMI
3.4325 of 5 stars
$38.39
+1.9%
$44.80
+16.7%
-3.7%$2.91B$716.67M7.81234
CNO
CNO Financial Group
2.8942 of 5 stars
$52.53
+2.1%
$48.75
-7.2%
+36.5%$4.90B$4.49B21.093,300
FAF
First American Financial
4.8488 of 5 stars
$69.25
+1.4%
$82.50
+19.1%
+9.3%$7.06B$7.45B10.6419,102

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This page (NYSE:ESNT) was last updated on 6/28/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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