JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) Stock Price

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) had its price objective increased by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $65.00 to $66.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 4.97% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ESNT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Capital raised their price objective on Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Essent Group from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.29.

Essent Group Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of ESNT traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $62.88. The company had a trading volume of 248,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 470,508. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.60. Essent Group has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $67.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.67 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $316.84 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 55.63%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Essent Group will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $291,584.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 237,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,939,032. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,448,325.12. This represents a 12.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essent Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESNT. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Essent Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Essent Group by 1,765.2% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the third quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essent Group Company Profile

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.