Walleye Capital LLC Has $22.22 Million Position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Walleye Capital LLC grew its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 45.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 345,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 108,061 shares during the quarter. Walleye Capital LLC owned about 0.33% of Essent Group worth $22,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,680,074 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $262,973,000 after purchasing an additional 445,853 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Essent Group by 132.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 424,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,294,000 after acquiring an additional 241,840 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Essent Group by 68.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 436,009 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $24,499,000 after acquiring an additional 177,700 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,748,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,416,000. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Essent Group stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $57.78. 308,716 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 531,296. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $60.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.12. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1-year low of $47.56 and a 1-year high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.08). Essent Group had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 60.15%. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.80 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. Essent Group's quarterly revenue was up 969.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ESNT. Barclays reduced their price objective on Essent Group from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Essent Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total transaction of $127,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. This trade represents a 7.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Company Profile

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.