Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) Stock Moved Up to “Buy” by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on RDN. BTIG Research started coverage on Radian Group in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $43.00 price objective on Radian Group in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded Radian Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Radian Group from $44.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Radian Group from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.57.

Radian Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RDN traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $36.55. 1,332,996 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,288,889. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.69. Radian Group has a twelve month low of $30.53 and a twelve month high of $41.05.

Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.24. Radian Group had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 28.41%. The company had revenue of $624.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $595.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Radian Group will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Radian Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.2550 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 23rd. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Radian Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.00%.

Insider Transactions at Radian Group

In other news, EVP Stephen Keleher sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.58, for a total value of $308,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 27,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,072,099.62. The trade was a 22.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Meghan Bartholomew sold 7,812 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total transaction of $280,763.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,408,955.82. The trade was a 16.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 2.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Radian Group by 109.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Radian Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Radian Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Radian Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Radian Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. 95.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Radian Group Company Profile

Radian Group Inc. is a mortgage and real estate services company whose primary business is private mortgage insurance. Through its subsidiaries, it provides mortgage insurance to lenders and other housing finance participants in the United States. Mortgage insurance helps protect lenders and investors against losses if borrowers default. It can also support home purchases by allowing qualified borrowers to obtain mortgages with smaller down payments than would otherwise be required. Radian also offers services and solutions related to mortgage risk management.