DOWLING & PARTN Estimates Essent Group FY2026 Earnings

Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) – Equities researchers at DOWLING & PARTN boosted their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Essent Group in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 10th. DOWLING & PARTN analyst G. Dunn now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $7.36 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $7.34. The consensus estimate for Essent Group’s current full-year earnings is $7.58 per share.

Several other analysts also recently commented on ESNT. Weiss Ratings raised Essent Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. BTIG Research began coverage on Essent Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Essent Group from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Essent Group from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Bank of America cut Essent Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.75.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE ESNT opened at $64.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Essent Group has a 52-week low of $55.34 and a 52-week high of $71.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $65.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.16. The firm has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.71.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.03). Essent Group had a net margin of 49.08% and a return on equity of 11.99%. The business had revenue of $374.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $344.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.13%.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In related news, SVP Vijay Bhasin sold 14,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $992,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 184,274 shares in the company, valued at $12,899,180. This trade represents a 7.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO David Weinstock sold 5,500 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.54, for a total value of $376,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,994 shares in the company, valued at $2,055,788.76. This represents a 15.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 118,705 shares of company stock valued at $8,352,951 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Essent Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESNT. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in Essent Group during the second quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Essent Group by 790.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 2nd quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Essent Group by 82.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essent Group Company Profile

Essent Group is a Bermuda-based provider of mortgage insurance and reinsurance, operating primarily in the United States. Its services help mortgage lenders manage the credit risk associated with residential home loans. Through its U.S. mortgage insurance subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides private mortgage insurance for eligible borrowers who make smaller down payments on conventional mortgages. The coverage can help lenders reduce potential losses if a borrower defaults. Essent also provides mortgage reinsurance through its reinsurance operations.