Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Purchases 17,228 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. $ESNT

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 17,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $998,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Essent Group by 7.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Essent Group by 5.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Essent Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 19,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,145,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Essent Group by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,287,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ESNT shares. Bank of America downgraded Essent Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $78.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Essent Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Roth Capital lifted their target price on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.75.

Essent Group Stock Performance

NYSE ESNT opened at $63.36 on Monday. Essent Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $55.34 and a 52-week high of $71.84. The company has a fifty day moving average of $65.58 and a 200-day moving average of $63.09. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.03). Essent Group had a net margin of 49.08% and a return on equity of 11.99%. The firm had revenue of $374.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $344.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essent Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Essent Group’s payout ratio is 19.13%.

Insider Transactions at Essent Group

In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.54, for a total transaction of $376,970.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,055,788.76. This trade represents a 15.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roy Kasmar sold 4,837 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.71, for a total value of $332,350.27. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,467,714.31. The trade was a 18.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 69,663 shares of company stock worth $4,866,555. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Essent Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Essent authorized a new $500 million share repurchase plan, which could support per-share results and return capital to shareholders. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share. Essent outlines premiums and share repurchase plan Essent declares dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue was $374.2 million, above analysts’ roughly $344.2 million estimate. EPS also rose year over year, to $1.82 from $1.67. Essent posts better-than-expected sales
• Positive Sentiment: Essent outlined approximately $320 million in 2026 property-and-casualty written premiums, pointing to activity beyond its core mortgage insurance business. Essent outlines 2026 premiums
• Negative Sentiment: EPS of $1.82 missed consensus estimates of $1.85–$1.88. The modest shortfall may have overshadowed the revenue beat and year-over-year earnings growth. Essent lags Q3 earnings estimates

Essent Group Profile

Essent Group is a Bermuda-based provider of mortgage insurance and reinsurance, operating primarily in the United States. Its services help mortgage lenders manage the credit risk associated with residential home loans.

Through its U.S. mortgage insurance subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides private mortgage insurance for eligible borrowers who make smaller down payments on conventional mortgages. The coverage can help lenders reduce potential losses if a borrower defaults.