Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $50.88 Million Stock Holdings in Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 782,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,873 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $50,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Essent Group by 45.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp boosted its stake in Essent Group by 192.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Essent Group in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. 93.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essent Group Price Performance

Shares of ESNT opened at $63.12 on Friday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $55.22 and a 1 year high of $67.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.15 and a 200-day moving average of $61.75.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.14. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 54.72%.The company had revenue of $336.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $297.56 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Essent Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essent Group news, CEO Mark Casale sold 13,064 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.05, for a total value of $849,813.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,218,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $144,312,124. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,250 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value of $276,292.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 233,336 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,169,173.36. The trade was a 1.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,814 shares of company stock valued at $1,661,682. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Essent Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Essent Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Essent Group beat first-quarter expectations, reporting $1.82 in EPS versus consensus around $1.72-$1.75, while revenue of $336.1 million also topped estimates. MarketBeat earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company said quarterly revenue rose 5.8% year over year, and profitability remained solid with a 12.09% return on equity and 54.72% net margin.
• Positive Sentiment: Essent Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders and implying a 2.2% annualized yield. GlobeNewswire dividend and results release
• Neutral Sentiment: Management discussed the results on multiple earnings calls and transcripts, but no additional major negative surprise was highlighted in the provided updates. Motley Fool transcript

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ESNT shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Essent Group from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Essent Group from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Essent Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essent Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.86.

About Essent Group

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.