Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT – Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.28 per share by the financial services provider on Monday, June 10th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st.
Essent Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 16.0% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 5 consecutive years. Essent Group has a dividend payout ratio of 15.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Essent Group to earn $7.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 15.6%.
Essent Group Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE ESNT traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.54. The company had a trading volume of 555,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,395. The company has a market capitalization of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.39, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $55.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.43. Essent Group has a 12-month low of $40.33 and a 12-month high of $59.90.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts have recently commented on ESNT shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Essent Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Essent Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Essent Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Essent Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.38.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on ESNT
About Essent Group
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Essent Group
- 3 Grocery Stocks That Can Help Take a Bite Out of Inflation
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 4/29 – 5/3
- What Are Dividend Champions? How to Invest in the Champions
- Apple’s Earnings Show Investors Its Strength and Its Weakness
- What is Forex and How Does it Work?
- Bargain Alert: 3 Large Caps With Extremely Oversold RSIs
Receive News & Ratings for Essent Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Essent Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.