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Essent Group (ESNT) Competitors

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$68.56 +3.05 (+4.65%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$68.67 +0.11 (+0.16%)
As of 07:34 PM Eastern
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ESNT vs. ACT, NMIH, UBSI, CNO, 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), United Bankshares (UBSI), CNO Financial Group (CNO), and F.N.B. (FNB).

How does Essent Group compare to Enact?

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

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 company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 7 more articles in the media than Enact. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 6 mentions for Enact. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat Enact's score of 0.71 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)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Enact
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Enact has a net margin of 54.51% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 53.64%. Enact's return on equity of 12.98% beat Essent Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
Enact 54.51%12.98%10.04%

Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Enact has a beta of 0.49, indicating that its stock price is 51% 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$1.26B5.01$689.97M$7.029.77
Enact$1.24B5.53$674.24M$4.7510.31

Essent Group presently has a consensus target price of $67.71, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. Given Essent Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities 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 pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Enact pays an annual dividend of $0.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Enact pays out 20.2% 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 increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Enact has increased 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.

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 better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and risk.

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

NMI presently has a consensus target price of $48.33, indicating a potential upside of 8.30%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $67.71, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. Given NMI's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly 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)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

In the previous week, NMI had 7 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 20 mentions for NMI and 13 mentions for Essent Group. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat NMI's score of 0.46 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
4 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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$706.44M4.75$388.93M$5.088.79
Essent Group$1.26B5.01$689.97M$7.029.77

NMI has a beta of 0.54, suggesting that its stock price is 46% 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.

NMI has a net margin of 54.10% compared to Essent Group's net margin of 53.64%. 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 53.64%12.01%9.28%

Summary

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

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% compared to United Bankshares' net margin of 27.97%. Essent Group's return on equity of 12.01% beat United Bankshares' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Essent Group53.64% 12.01% 9.28%
United Bankshares 27.97%9.39%1.53%

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

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 3.1%. Essent Group pays out 19.9% 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.

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

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$1.26B5.01$689.97M$7.029.77
United Bankshares$1.82B3.66$464.60M$3.6713.17

Essent Group presently has a consensus price target of $67.71, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. United Bankshares has a consensus price target of $47.80, indicating a potential downside of 1.08%. Given United Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe United Bankshares 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
United Bankshares
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43

In the previous week, Essent Group had 9 more articles in the media than United Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 4 mentions for United Bankshares. United Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Essent Group's score of 0.77 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
6 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
United Bankshares
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Essent Group beats United Bankshares on 12 of the 19 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 compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and media sentiment.

Essent Group has a net margin of 53.64% 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 53.64%12.01%9.28%

CNO Financial Group has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its share price is 19% 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.

95.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. 3.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, CNO Financial Group had 8 more articles in the media than Essent Group. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for CNO Financial Group and 13 mentions for Essent Group. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat CNO Financial Group's score of 0.71 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
5 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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$4.49B1.15$229.30M$2.9118.97
Essent Group$1.26B5.01$689.97M$7.029.77

CNO Financial Group presently has a consensus target price of $52.50, indicating a potential downside of 4.92%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $67.71, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. 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)
6 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

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 19.9% 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 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.

Summary

Essent Group beats CNO Financial Group on 12 of the 18 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 stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, media sentiment, risk and valuation.

F.N.B. presently has a consensus target price of $20.70, indicating a potential upside of 9.17%. Essent Group has a consensus target price of $67.71, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. Given F.N.B.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research 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)
1 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.83
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 22.29%. 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.22.29% 9.10% 1.22%
Essent Group 53.64%12.01%9.28%

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

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.$2.69B2.48$565M$1.6811.29
Essent Group$1.26B5.01$689.97M$7.029.77

F.N.B. has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its share price is 24% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Essent Group had 1 more articles in the media than F.N.B.. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Essent Group and 12 mentions for F.N.B.. Essent Group's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat F.N.B.'s score of 0.49 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.
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Essent Group
6 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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 2.0%. F.N.B. pays out 31.0% 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.

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 GroupFinancial Services IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$6.04B$27.86B$14.06B$24.08B
Dividend Yield2.14%5.99%5.91%3.71%
P/E Ratio9.7711.4927.6925.20
Price / Sales5.01388.66510.1919.21
Price / Cash8.92159.1538.9632.96
Price / Book1.153.113.706.87
Net Income$689.97M$1.08B$1.31B$1.06B
7 Day Performance3.88%1.92%1.30%2.90%
1 Month Performance6.03%-1.31%1.04%2.54%
1 Year Performance20.41%-8.86%13.35%20.37%

Essent Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ESNT
Essent Group
3.5594 of 5 stars
$68.56
+4.7%
$67.71
-1.2%
+13.3%$6.04B$1.26B9.77350
ACT
Enact
N/A$47.89
+0.0%
$35.00
-26.9%
+34.4%$6.68B$1.24B10.38500
NMIH
NMI
3.2065 of 5 stars
$44.65
+0.1%
$48.33
+8.3%
+15.0%$3.39B$706.44M8.78234
UBSI
United Bankshares
3.378 of 5 stars
$49.45
+1.1%
$47.80
-3.3%
+36.4%$6.81B$1.82B13.472,694
CNO
CNO Financial Group
3.8778 of 5 stars
$55.48
+0.4%
$52.50
-5.4%
+50.5%$5.18B$4.49B19.073,300

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This page (NYSE:ESNT) was last updated on 8/7/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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