<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 10,765 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $605,000.</p><p>Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essent Group during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Essent Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Essent Group by 49.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Essent Group during the second quarter worth about $176,000. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essent Group during the first quarter worth approximately $215,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.00% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Wall Street Analyst Weigh In</h2><p>Several research analysts have recently commented on ESNT shares. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Essent Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. raised their target price on Essent Group from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Essent Group from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods upgraded shares of Essent Group from a &#34;market perform&#34; rating to an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and raised their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Essent Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essent Group presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $64.33.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Essent Group</b></p><h2>Insider Transactions at Essent Group</h2><p>In related news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total value of $127,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO David B. Weinstock sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.59, for a total transaction of $127,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 25,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,616,203.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Roy James Kasmar sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.81, for a total value of $294,050.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,188 shares of company stock worth $1,094,076 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Essent Group Stock Up 1.5 %</h2><p>Essent Group stock opened at $64.18 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $62.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.58. The stock has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. Essent Group Ltd. has a 12-month low of $45.63 and a 12-month high of $65.33. </p><p>Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.23. Essent Group had a net margin of 61.31% and a return on equity of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $272.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $308.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. Essent Group's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Essent Group Ltd. will post 7.02 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Essent Group Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Essent Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.94%. </p><h2>Essent Group Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Essent Group</li><li>What Are Some of the Best Large-Cap Stocks to Buy?</li><li>3 Key Stocks to Ride China's Stimulus-Driven Growth</li><li>Do Real Estate Investment Trusts Deserve a Place in Your Portfolio?</li><li>3 Dividend Growth Stocks Set to Supercharge Your Portfolio</li><li>How to Choose Top Rated Stocks</li><li>3 Small-Cap Stocks on the Way to Bigger and Better Days</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUVTTlQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUVTTlQ"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. 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ESNT

<p>Algert Global LLC has invested $1,000 in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by acquiring 10,765 shares during the 2nd quarter. Other hedge funds have also adjusted their stakes in the company. Analysts have raised target prices for Essent Group, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy". Insider transactions include CFO David B. Weinstock selling 2,000 shares. Essent Group's stock has seen a 1.5% increase, with a current market cap of $3.85 billion and a P/E ratio of 9.71.</p>

Algert Global LLC Invests $605,000 in Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)