Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Shares Sold by Fairman Group LLC

Fairman Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 100,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Essent Group comprises 4.5% of Fairman Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Fairman Group LLC’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $5,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the fourth quarter worth about $2,361,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 94.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 45,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 22,160 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 216.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 39,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 26,745 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Essent Group by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 984,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,591,000 after purchasing an additional 233,636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 56,191 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,059,000 after purchasing an additional 8,597 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ESNT opened at $58.07 on Wednesday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $51.32 and a 52-week high of $65.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.20. The company has a market capitalization of $6.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ESNT shares. Barclays cut shares of Essent Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Essent Group from $67.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Essent Group from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.71.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance and reinsurance for mortgages secured by residential properties located in the United States. Its mortgage insurance products include primary, pool, and master policy. The company also provides information technology maintenance and development services; customer support-related services; underwriting consulting; and contract underwriting services, as well as risk management products and title insurance and settlement services.