Inceptionr LLC Invests $1.12 Million in Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 17,666 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ESNT. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Essent Group by 3.6% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 5.2% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 45.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Essent Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $752,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Essent Group by 27.8% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $59.32 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $62.28 and its 200 day moving average is $62.45. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $51.61 and a 12-month high of $67.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.14). Essent Group had a net margin of 54.72% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The company had revenue of $312.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $312.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.58 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Essent Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ESNT shares. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In related news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $291,584.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 237,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,939,032. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.