Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Stock Has Average Price Target of $70.75

Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.75.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Essent Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Essent Group from $72.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. BTIG Research began coverage on Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Bank of America cut Essent Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th.

Key Essent Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Essent Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Essent authorized a new $500 million share repurchase plan, which could support per-share results and return capital to shareholders. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share. Essent outlines premiums and share repurchase plan Essent declares dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue was $374.2 million, above analysts’ roughly $344.2 million estimate. EPS also rose year over year, to $1.82 from $1.67. Essent posts better-than-expected sales
• Positive Sentiment: Essent outlined approximately $320 million in 2026 property-and-casualty written premiums, pointing to activity beyond its core mortgage insurance business. Essent outlines 2026 premiums
• Negative Sentiment: EPS of $1.82 missed consensus estimates of $1.85–$1.88. The modest shortfall may have overshadowed the revenue beat and year-over-year earnings growth. Essent lags Q3 earnings estimates

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In related news, Director Douglas Pauls sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total transaction of $174,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 30,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,101,733.80. This trade represents a 7.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Vijay Bhasin sold 14,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $992,250.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 184,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,899,180. The trade was a 7.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 69,663 shares of company stock worth $4,866,555. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Essent Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 19,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essent Group by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Provident Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Essent Group by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Price Performance

Essent Group stock opened at $63.36 on Friday. Essent Group has a 12-month low of $55.34 and a 12-month high of $71.84. The stock has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.66, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $65.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $374.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $344.17 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 49.08%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essent Group will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.13%.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group is a Bermuda-based provider of mortgage insurance and reinsurance, operating primarily in the United States. Its services help mortgage lenders manage the credit risk associated with residential home loans.

Through its U.S. mortgage insurance subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides private mortgage insurance for eligible borrowers who make smaller down payments on conventional mortgages. The coverage can help lenders reduce potential losses if a borrower defaults.