UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) Stock Price

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) had its price target decreased by UBS Group from $65.00 to $63.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.23% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Essent Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Essent Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Essent Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Essent Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.43.

Essent Group Stock Up 0.2%

ESNT traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $57.68. 804,106 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 756,006. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.38. The company has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.91. Essent Group has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $67.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $312.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $312.62 million. Essent Group had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 54.72%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Essent Group will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essent Group news, SVP Mary Lourdes Gibbons sold 4,352 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $291,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 237,896 shares in the company, valued at $15,939,032. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group in the second quarter valued at $346,000. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $464,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $226,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,231,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in Essent Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $209,000. 93.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Essent Group

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.