Tudor Investment Corp ET AL Decreases Stock Holdings in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL reduced its position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 31.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 85,686 shares during the quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned about 0.18% of Essent Group worth $10,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Essent Group by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Essent Group by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Essent Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Essent Group by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ESNT shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays downgraded shares of Essent Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Essent Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.71.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of Essent Group stock opened at $55.98 on Tuesday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $65.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 8.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $55.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.63.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $315.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.88 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 58.69% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The business’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Essent Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.13%.

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.