Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Stock Holdings Reduced by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 82.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 44,826 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Essent Group in the third quarter worth approximately $204,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Essent Group by 46.9% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 33,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,117,000 after acquiring an additional 10,642 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group in the third quarter worth approximately $205,000. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 18,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 2,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Essent Group by 531.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,157 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 21,171 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essent Group Price Performance

NYSE ESNT opened at $62.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.59. Essent Group Ltd. has a twelve month low of $51.61 and a twelve month high of $67.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($0.08). Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 55.63%.The business had revenue of $311.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is 18.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $291,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 237,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,939,032. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 3,250 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $199,680.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESNT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on 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 raised their price objective on Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.29.

Essent Group 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.