Essent .(US:ESNT) ZACKSยท2025-07-09 16:45Company Overview - Essent Group (ESNT) is based in Hamilton and operates in the Finance sector, with a year-to-date share price change of 9.39% [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.31 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 2.08%, which is significantly higher than the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 0.58% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.53% [3] Dividend Performance - Essent Group's current annualized dividend of $1.24 represents a 10.7% increase from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, the company has increased its dividend five times, achieving an average annual increase of 16.21% [4] - The current payout ratio is 18%, indicating that the company paid out 18% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Growth Expectations - For the fiscal year, Essent Group anticipates solid earnings growth, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 projected at $6.87 per share, reflecting a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 0.29% [5] Investment Considerations - The company is viewed as a compelling investment opportunity due to its attractive dividend and strong Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [6] - Income investors are particularly interested in dividends as they enhance stock investing profits and reduce overall portfolio risk [5]