Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) Short Interest Down 13.3% in January

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,691,860 shares, a decline of 13.3% from the January 15th total of 1,950,331 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 740,623 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 740,623 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essent Group news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $291,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 237,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,939,032. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essent Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Essent Group by 1,765.2% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Essent Group by 97.1% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 676 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of ESNT stock opened at $61.28 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a PE ratio of 8.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.90. Essent Group has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $67.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.72 and its 200 day moving average is $62.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.14). Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 54.72%.The business had revenue of $312.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $312.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. Essent Group’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Essent Group will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Essent Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Essent Group’s payout ratio is 18.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESNT has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays cut their price target on Essent Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Essent Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.33.

Essent Group Company 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.