FY2024 EPS Estimates for Essent Group Reduced by Analyst

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) – Equities researchers at Roth Capital cut their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essent Group in a research note issued to investors on Monday, November 4th. Roth Capital analyst H. Fong now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $6.95 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $7.05. The consensus estimate for Essent Group’s current full-year earnings is $6.95 per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Essent Group’s Q4 2025 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.73 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.77 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.79 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.10 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Essent Group from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Essent Group from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Essent Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price target on Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.00.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $55.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.12. Essent Group has a 1 year low of $47.56 and a 1 year high of $65.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.34.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.08). Essent Group had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 60.15%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 969.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Essent Group’s payout ratio is 16.23%.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were 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 $1,616,203.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Essent Group by 86.4% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 65,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,872,000 after buying an additional 30,149 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Essent Group by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Essent Group during the 1st quarter worth $409,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its position in Essent Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 93,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,552,000 after purchasing an additional 1,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Essent Group in the first quarter valued at $977,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

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.