Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Shares Purchased by Capital International Investors

Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,370,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 221,950 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned about 2.23% of Essent Group worth $129,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESNT. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Essent Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Essent Group by 68.8% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Essent Group during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essent Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Essent Group stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $55.65. 138,289 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 818,154. The business has a 50-day moving average of $55.81 and a 200-day moving average of $56.82. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $51.61 and a 1 year high of $65.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.80.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $315.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $313.88 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 58.69%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from Essent Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on ESNT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lowered Essent Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $58.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Essent Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.71.

About Essent Group

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.