Essent Group (ESNT) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Friday

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) will release its earnings data before the market opens on Friday, November 1st. Analysts expect Essent Group to post earnings of $1.70 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $272.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.33 million. Essent Group had a net margin of 61.31% and a return on equity of 14.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. On average, analysts expect Essent Group to post $7 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Essent Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:ESNT opened at $60.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.24. Essent Group has a 12-month low of $46.29 and a 12-month high of $65.33.

Essent Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Essent Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total transaction of $127,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total transaction of $127,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total transaction of $294,050.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,596,103.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ESNT shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Essent Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Essent Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.50.

About Essent Group

Essent Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance and reinsurance for mortgages secured by residential properties located in the United States. Its mortgage insurance products include primary, pool, and master policy. The company also provides information technology maintenance and development services; customer support-related services; underwriting consulting; and contract underwriting services, as well as risk management products and title insurance and settlement services.