2,023 Shares in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Purchased by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $130,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 50,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,841,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 15,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. Provident Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total value of $127,180.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. The trade was a 7.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ESNT shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Essent Group from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Essent Group from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Essent Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.00.

Essent Group Price Performance

NYSE:ESNT opened at $57.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.13 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.50. Essent Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $47.56 and a fifty-two week high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.80 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 60.15% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company’s revenue was up 969.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Essent Group’s payout ratio is 16.23%.

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.