Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Rates Essent (ESNT) buy, $74 Price Target

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has reiterated its buy rating on Essent Group Ltd. with a price target of $74, a 16.46% upside from the current price.

By EarningsIQ Research Desk · Published Jun 26, 2026, 3:03 AM EDT · Updated Jun 29, 2026, 2:03 PM EDT

Reviewed by automated data checks against the source data. How we make and check alerts

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods rated Essent Group Ltd. ($ESNT) "buy" with a $74 price target on June 25, 2026.

Since the rating, $ESNT is up 4.8% after 1 week, up 7.3% after 1 month and up 5.1% to date (from the $61.54 close on Jun 25, 2026).

ESNT Essent Group Ltd.

$64.70 +1.79% year to date

Daily close · Oct 16, 2026

Key Points

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated its buy rating on Essent Group Ltd. with a price target of $74 on June 25, 2026.
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's $74 price target implies 16.46% upside from Essent Group Ltd.'s ($ESNT) current $63.54 share price.
Essent Group Ltd. shares traded at $62.8 on Friday, with a market cap of approximately $5.7 billion and a P/E ratio of 8.8.
Recent insider transactions include a purchase by Martin Connor and several insider sales in early May 2026.

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Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has reiterated its buy rating on Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE:ESNT) with a price target of $74. This reaffirmation came on June 25, 2026, as part of ongoing analyst coverage of the company.

Analyst rating track record

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods vs. the S&P 500

YTD return -47.78% hypothetical

All-time return -74.50% S&P 500 +23.48%

vs. S&P 500 -97.98% behind the index

Hypothetical returns from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's disclosed trades, not real profit or advice. How we model this.

Essent Group Ltd. Stock Down 5.4%

Shares of NYSE:ESNT traded near $62.8 on Friday. Essent Group Ltd. has a market capitalization of approximately $5.7 billion, with a P/E ratio of 8.8 and a forward P/E of 8.0. The stock's beta is 0.783, indicating lower volatility compared to the market. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock has ranged from a low of $55.22 to a high of $67.09. It has a 50-day moving average of $60.35 and a 200-day moving average of $61.40. The company's current ratio is 2.006, with a quick ratio of 1.236 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.701.

12-month forecast

$ESNT price target

Essent Group Ltd. daily closes and this analyst's $74 target. Not advice.

Recent Earnings

Essent Group Ltd. reported revenue of about $1.28 billion, reflecting a growth of 5.8%. The company posted an earnings per share (EPS) of $7.03, with a net margin of 53.6% and a return on equity (ROE) of 12.1%. Investors are looking forward to the next earnings release scheduled for August 7, 2026.

Dividend

Essent Group Ltd. offers an annual dividend rate of $1.40, yielding 2.26%. The dividend payout ratio stands at 18.21%, indicating a conservative payout relative to earnings.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group Ltd.

Recent insider activity at Essent Group Ltd. includes several transactions on May 7, 2026. Martin Connor purchased 2,443 shares, while other insiders such as Aditya Dutt and David Benson sold shares. These transactions were not part of any pre-scheduled plans.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

On June 25, 2026, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods maintained its buy rating on Essent Group Ltd. with a price target of $74. Earlier in the month, on June 4, the same firm had upgraded the stock to a buy rating with a $73 target. Other analysts, including RBC Capital and Barclays, have issued hold ratings with targets ranging from $61 to $68. Overall, the consensus among eight analysts gives Essent a mean price target of $67.88.

About Essent Group Ltd.

Essent Group Ltd. provides private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance services primarily in the United States. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, the company operates through its Mortgage Insurance and Reinsurance segments. Essent serves mortgage lenders, borrowers, and investors, offering products like primary and pool mortgage insurance, as well as credit risk management services. The company is led by CEO Mark Anthony Casale and employs around 520 people.

Bottom Line

Essent Group Ltd. draws attention from investors and analysts, reflected in the recent reiteration of a buy rating by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. With a solid financial foundation and consistent analyst interest, Essent remains a company to watch. As always, remember that analyst ratings and 13F filings are backward-looking and may not reflect the most current market conditions.