KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT – Free Report) by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Essent Group by 2.8% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Essent Group by 0.4% during the second 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 Essent Group by 2.0% during the third 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 Essent Group by 2.5% during the second 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% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity
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 owns 25,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,616,203.44. The trade was a 7.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ESNT
Essent Group Trading Down 0.1 %
Shares of ESNT stock opened at $55.72 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.51. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52 week low of $47.56 and a 52 week high of $65.33. The company has a market cap of $5.92 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.12.
Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT – Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 60.15% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 969.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Essent Group Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.
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