Barclays raises target for Essent Group stock to USD 66.00

Published on 10/06/2026 at 07:42 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

New insurance written hit USD 14.10 billion in Q2 2026, up 12.80 percent. Essent Group stock costs EUR 54.50 on October 6, 2026 versus EUR 54.50.

ESNT, BMG3198U1027, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Essent Group (BMG3198U1027) was trading at EUR 54.50 at Lang & Schwarz on October 6, 2026 at 7:39 a.m. CEST, unchanged versus the prior close of EUR 54.50. On October 5, 2026, MarketBeat reported that Barclays raised its target for Essent Group from USD 65.00 to USD 66.00 while maintaining an equal-weight rating.

Barclays lifts the target

The USD 1.00 increase places Barclays' target above the stock's primary-market price of USD 61.09 at the October 5, 2026 close. That USD 61.09 quote was 1.44 percent above the prior USD 60.22 close, while Essent's 52-week range stood at USD 55.34 to USD 70.37.

The target change is modest, but it gives the mortgage insurer a fresh valuation reference after a period of weaker trading. The target implies a 8.20 percent premium to the USD 61.09 primary-market price, calculated from the two dollar values.

Insurance volume grows

Essent's operating figures show a mixed but expanding franchise. According to The Globe and Mail in its August 7, 2026 transcript, new insurance written reached USD 14.10 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 12.80 percent from USD 12.50 billion in the second quarter of 2025.

The same transcript reported USD 189.70 million of net income and diluted earnings per share of USD 2.08 for the second quarter of 2026. Net income fell from USD 195.30 million in the prior-year quarter, while insurance in force increased to USD 249.70 billion from USD 246.80 billion.

Affordability remains a constraint

Management linked persistency of 84.00 percent at June 30, 2026, to the interest-rate environment and said affordability continued to constrain mortgage origination volume. The portfolio default rate was 2.53 percent, essentially unchanged from 2.54 percent at the end of the first quarter.

That combination matters for the stock: new business is growing, while the existing insurance book remains the main earnings and capital base. Essent also reported USD 5.70 billion of total stockholders' equity at the end of the second quarter and repurchased USD 348.00 million of common shares through July 31, 2026, according to The Globe and Mail.

Essent Group stock holds at EUR 54.50

Essent Group was trading at EUR 54.50 at Lang & Schwarz on October 6, 2026 at 7:39 a.m. CEST, in the pre-market phase, unchanged at 0.00 percent versus the prior close of EUR 54.50. Its market capitalization was USD 5.6 billion as of October 5, 2026, and its primary exchange is the NYSE.