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

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Essent Group (NYSE: ESNT) in the last few weeks:

• 12/29/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/22/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/18/2025 – Essent Group had its price target raised by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $71.00 to $73.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 12/15/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/8/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/1/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 11/25/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 11/19/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 11/13/2025 – Essent Group had its “buy (b+)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group

In other Essent Group news, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $1,448,325.12. This represents a 12.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $291,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 237,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,939,032. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.40% 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.