Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Stock Holdings Lifted by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 163.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,676 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 27,717 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates' holdings in Essent Group were worth $2,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Essent Group by 726.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 463 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essent Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Essent Group by 167.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 836 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 49.7% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total value 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. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Essent Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of ESNT traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.65. 1,519,393 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 511,584. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.36. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $47.56 and a 12-month high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. The company's revenue was up 969.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESNT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Essent Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their target price on Essent Group from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Essent Group from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.00.

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.