Inceptionr LLC Invests $1.12 Million in Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,666 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ESNT. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group during the second quarter worth $346,000. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $464,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $226,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 2nd quarter worth $1,231,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the second quarter valued at about $209,000. 93.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ESNT shares. 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 research report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.33.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ESNT opened at $59.32 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $62.28 and its 200 day moving average is $62.45. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $67.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20.

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

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Essent Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essent Group news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $291,584.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 237,896 shares in the company, valued at $15,939,032. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.