Allianz Asset Management GmbH Buys 13,847 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 106.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,847 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $1,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Essent Group by 1,765.2% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Essent Group by 160.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $132,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $291,584.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 237,896 shares in the company, valued at $15,939,032. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Essent Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $65.59 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $63.76 and its 200 day moving average is $62.29. The company has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $51.61 and a 1 year high of $67.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ESNT. Barclays cut their target price on Essent Group from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.29.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE: ESNT) is a publicly traded insurance holding company specializing in private mortgage insurance and mortgage reinsurance solutions. Through its primary subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides credit protection to mortgage lenders, helping mitigate the risk of borrower default on residential mortgage loans. Essent’s insurance policies enable lenders to offer low-down-payment programs, supporting homebuyers in achieving homeownership with reduced upfront equity requirements.

Beyond traditional mortgage insurance, Essent offers a suite of risk management and analytics services designed to help financial institutions monitor and manage mortgage portfolios.