Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 34.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 165,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 86,178 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Essent Group worth $9,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESNT. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $46,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 330.6% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 102.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE ESNT opened at $62.49 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $319.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $317.46 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 56.36% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.10%.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In other news, Director William Spiegel sold 6,451 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.74, for a total transaction of $404,735.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,647,050.48. This represents a 19.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 3,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $233,120.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 247,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,315,426. The trade was a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,450 shares of company stock valued at $772,676 in the last ninety days. 3.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESNT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Essent Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $60.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Compass Point reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essent Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.67.

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.