Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.2857.

ESNT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 237,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,939,032. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $199,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,573 shares in the company, valued at $1,448,325.12. This trade represents a 12.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essent Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ESNT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Essent Group during the fourth quarter worth about $155,516,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Essent Group by 78.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,517,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,180,000 after purchasing an additional 669,577 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,983,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 45.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,198,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $76,173,000 after purchasing an additional 372,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,938,688 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $123,223,000 after purchasing an additional 318,318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $64.25 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s 50-day moving average is $63.61 and its 200 day moving average is $62.24. Essent Group has a 1 year low of $51.61 and a 1 year high of $67.09.

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.