GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 768 Shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 768 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Essent Group were worth $2,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Essent Group by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 25,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,670,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Essent Group by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Essent Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 13,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $857,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Essent Group by 726.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Essent Group by 2.8% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Essent Group from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Essent Group from $67.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays cut shares of Essent Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Essent Group from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Essent Group from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essent Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.71.

Essent Group Price Performance

ESNT stock opened at $59.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.27. The stock has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 8.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.11. Essent Group Ltd. has a one year low of $50.65 and a one year high of $65.33.

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.