Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Radian Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Radian Group in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Radian Group from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “cautious” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Radian Group from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Radian Group from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

Radian Group Price Performance

Shares of RDN opened at $35.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 0.82. Radian Group has a fifty-two week low of $29.32 and a fifty-two week high of $38.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67.

Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.20. Radian Group had a return on equity of 13.29% and a net margin of 45.90%.The firm had revenue of $303.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $308.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Radian Group will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Radian Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Radian Group’s dividend payout ratio is 25.44%.

Insider Activity at Radian Group

In related news, EVP Eric Ray sold 13,957 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.60, for a total transaction of $496,869.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RDN. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Radian Group by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,153 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 1,996 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its stake in Radian Group by 274.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 91,912 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,329,000 after purchasing an additional 67,357 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Radian Group by 31.7% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,498 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Radian Group during the third quarter worth $232,000. Finally, Prana Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Radian Group during the third quarter worth $1,979,000. 95.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Radian Group

Radian Group Inc (NYSE:RDN) is a leading provider of private mortgage insurance and related risk management solutions in the United States. Through its primary subsidiary, Radian Guaranty Inc, the company underwrites borrower-paid and lender-paid mortgage insurance that protects lenders and investors from potential losses arising from borrower defaults. Radian’s core business focuses on supporting residential mortgage originations and servicing by offering capital-efficient credit protection and credit risk transfer strategies.

Beyond mortgage insurance, Radian offers an array of real estate transaction services under its Radian Title division.