KBC Group NV Has $287,000 Holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 18.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Essent Group during the first quarter worth $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Essent Group by 53.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Essent Group by 330.6% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,098 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Essent Group by 20.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ESNT. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essent Group news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.79, for a total value of $146,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,608,788.35. This trade represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 1,999 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $119,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 251,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,061,380. This trade represents a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,740 shares of company stock worth $581,386 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Stock Performance

Shares of ESNT stock opened at $61.90 on Friday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52 week low of $51.61 and a 52 week high of $65.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a PE ratio of 9.06, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $58.80 and its 200-day moving average is $57.01.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.03. Essent Group had a net margin of 57.29% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $317.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $311.18 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

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.