Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Shares Sold by Capital International Investors

Capital International Investors reduced its stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,988,510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 373,955 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors owned 2.06% of Essent Group worth $126,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new stake in Essent Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,247,000. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,123,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 16,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 318,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,230,000 after purchasing an additional 59,539 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 3.6% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of Essent Group stock opened at $57.54 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.38. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $67.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.14). Essent Group had a net margin of 54.72% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The firm had revenue of $312.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $312.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.58 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Essent Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essent Group’s payout ratio is 18.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ESNT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Essent Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.33.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In other Essent Group 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 transaction of $291,584.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 237,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,939,032. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Essent Group

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.