Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,975 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Essent Group worth $11,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in Essent Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $752,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Essent Group by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Essent Group by 1.2% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Essent Group by 12.5% in the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essent Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:ESNT opened at $62.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.90. Essent Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $51.61 and a 1 year high of $67.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.67.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $311.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.84 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 55.63% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. Analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 3,250 shares of Essent Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $199,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,448,325.12. This trade represents a 12.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $291,584.00. Following 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ESNT. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essent Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.29.

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.