Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Shares Purchased by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) by 132.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 424,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 241,840 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.40% of Essent Group worth $27,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ESNT. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Essent Group by 49.7% during the 2nd 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. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Essent Group by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,968 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Essent Group by 147.5% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 33,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,888,000 after buying an additional 20,023 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Essent Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $725,000. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 6.6% in the second quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 9,572 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were 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 directly owns 25,416 shares in the company, valued at $1,616,203.44. This trade represents a 7.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Essent Group Trading Up 0.5 %

ESNT traded up $0.28 on Thursday, hitting $56.59. 160,503 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 531,577. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $59.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.54. The stock has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.09. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $48.08 and a fifty-two week high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.80 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 60.15% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm's revenue was up 969.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Essent Group from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Essent Group from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Essent Group from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.00.

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.