Inspire Investing LLC Has $413,000 Stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Essent Group by 726.8% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essent Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Essent Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in Essent Group by 167.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essent Group Price Performance

NYSE ESNT opened at $64.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.85. Essent Group Ltd. has a one year low of $45.63 and a one year high of $65.33.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $272.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.33 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 61.31% and a return on equity of 14.40%. Essent Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESNT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. BTIG Research upped 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. Barclays raised their price objective on Essent Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Essent Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Essent Group from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.50.

Insider Activity at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total value of $294,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,596,103.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Essent Group news, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total transaction of $294,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,596,103.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.