SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 27,612 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 82.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,985 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 27,612 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ESNT. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Essent Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Quarry LP raised its position in Essent Group by 167.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Essent Group by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESNT has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research increased their target price on Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Essent Group from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Essent Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Essent Group from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Essent Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total transaction of $294,050.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,596,103.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Essent Group news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total transaction of $127,180.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 25,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total value of $294,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,596,103.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Essent Group stock opened at $64.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.81, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $62.90 and its 200 day moving average is $58.89. Essent Group Ltd. has a twelve month low of $45.63 and a twelve month high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $272.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $308.33 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 14.40% and a net margin of 61.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.02 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is 16.94%.

Essent Group 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.