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

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods maintains a buy rating on ESNT with a $74 price target, a 17.83% upside from the current price.

By TradeTexts Research Desk · Published Jun 25, 2026, 1:03 PM EDT · Updated Jun 26, 2026, 2:01 AM EDT

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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 ESNT, setting a price target of $74 as of June 25, 2026.
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's $74 price target implies 17.83% upside from Essent Group Ltd.'s ($ESNT) current $62.80 share price.
On Thursday, ESNT shares traded near $62.8, reflecting recent analyst activity and institutional adjustments.
BlackRock reduced its holdings in ESNT by 1,125,443 shares, an 8.6% decrease, while Vanguard Portfolio Management opened a new position.

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On June 25, 2026, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated its buy rating on ESNT, setting a price target of $74. This reaffirmation by analyst Bose George suggests continued confidence in the company's potential. Shares of ESNT traded near $62.8 on Thursday.

Analyst rating track record

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

YTD return -46.86% hypothetical

All-time return -74.05% S&P 500 +23.37%

vs. S&P 500 -97.42% behind the index

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

Other Institutional Activity in ESNT

Institutional investors have been adjusting their positions in ESNT. BlackRock, Inc. reduced its holdings by 1,125,443 shares, bringing its total to 11,955,055 shares valued at approximately $698.7 million, marking an 8.6% decrease. Vanguard Portfolio Management LLC opened a new position with 7,375,293 shares valued at about $431 million. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP slightly trimmed its stake by 38,570 shares, now holding 5,362,232 shares worth $313.4 million, a 0.7% decrease. FMR LLC added 74,391 shares to its holdings, ending with 5,093,773 shares valued at $297.7 million, reflecting a 1.5% increase. Capital World Investors decreased its stake by 66,312 shares, holding 4,695,817 shares valued at $274.4 million, a 1.4% decrease.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essent Group Ltd.

Several insiders have been active in trading ESNT shares. On May 7, 2026, Martin Connor purchased 2,443 shares. Meanwhile, Aditya Dutt, Anu Karna, David Benson, and Angela Heise each sold shares on the same day, with transactions ranging from 56 to 2,569 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

On June 25, 2026, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods maintained its buy rating on ESNT with a $74 price target. Earlier, on June 4, they upgraded the rating to buy with a $73 target. Other analysts have weighed in as well: RBC Capital initiated coverage with a hold rating and a $68 target on May 22, while Barclays maintained a hold rating with a $62 target on May 11.

Bottom Line

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' reaffirmation of a buy rating with a $74 target highlights ongoing optimism about ESNT's prospects. Institutional investors are making notable adjustments, with some funds reducing stakes while others initiate new positions. Remember, these analyst ratings and institutional moves are backward-looking and should be considered as part of a broader investment strategy.

12-month forecast