Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 184,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,975 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $11,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in Essent Group by 5.2% in the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $752,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Essent Group by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Essent Group by 1.2% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,324,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 12.5% in the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $62.05 on Tuesday. Essent Group Ltd. has a one year low of $51.61 and a one year high of $67.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.03, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.67. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $311.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.84 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 55.63% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The business’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $199,680.00. Following the transaction, the director 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ESNT shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.