Research Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Essent Group (ESNT)

Essent Group (NYSE: ESNT) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

• 8/15/2026 – Essent Group was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 8/10/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by Roth Capital from $65.00 to $80.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/10/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by Royal Bank Of Canada from $68.00 to $75.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 8/10/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $74.00 to $78.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/10/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by Barclays PLC from $62.00 to $65.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 7/13/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $65.00 to $72.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 6/25/2026 – Essent Group had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $73.00 to $74.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 6/23/2026 – Essent Group was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “buy (b-)” to “buy (b)”.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Essent Group’s payout ratio is currently 19.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other news, SVP Vijay Bhasin sold 14,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $992,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.51, for a total value of $349,305.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 35,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,254,223.94. This represents a 13.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 96,348 shares of company stock valued at $6,552,539 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

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.