Essent Group Ltd. Schedules Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call for February 13, 2026

What Happened?

Shares of mortgage insurance provider Essent Group jumped 3.4% in the afternoon session after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its price target on the stock from $65.00 to $66.00. 

While the investment bank maintained a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock, the higher price objective suggested a more positive outlook on its valuation. This action followed several other recent analyst reports. For instance, Roth Capital had previously boosted its price target to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating. In contrast, other firms like Goldman Sachs and Barclays held "neutral" or "equal weight" ratings, highlighting a mixed but generally stable view on the company among financial analysts.

The shares closed the day at $60.63, up 3% from previous close.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Essent Group’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 2 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 5 months ago when the stock gained 6.2% on the news that the company reported mixed second-quarter results that saw earnings beat expectations while a key revenue component fell short. 

The mortgage insurance provider posted earnings per share of $1.93, comfortably surpassing analyst estimates of $1.71. Total revenue also edged past forecasts, coming in at $319.1 million against an expected $316.8 million. However, this positive news was tempered by a 1.2% year-over-year decline in net premiums earned, a core metric for insurers, which also missed Wall Street's consensus. The mixed performance, with a beat on the bottom line but weakness in its primary insurance income, led to a muted reaction from investors.

Essent Group is down 6.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $60.57 per share, it is trading 9.4% below its 52-week high of $66.82 from December 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Essent Group’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,250.

As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q3. Today, we are looking at property & casualty insurance stocks, starting with Essent Group .

Property & Casualty (P&C) insurers protect individuals and businesses against financial loss from damage to property or from legal liability. This is a cyclical industry, and the sector benefits when there is 'hard market', characterized by strong premium rate increases that outpace loss and cost inflation, resulting in robust underwriting margins. The opposite is true in a 'soft market'. Interest rates also matter, as they determine the yields earned on fixed-income portfolios. On the other hand, P&C insurers face a major secular headwind from the increasing frequency and severity of catastrophe losses due to climate change. Furthermore, the liability side of the business is pressured by 'social inflation'—the trend of rising litigation costs and larger jury awards.

The 33 property & casualty insurance stocks we track reported a strong Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 14.9%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 2.6% on average since the latest earnings results.

Essent Group

Serving as a crucial bridge between homebuyers and the American dream of homeownership, Essent Group provides private mortgage insurance and title services that enable lenders to offer home loans with down payments of less than 20%.

Essent Group reported revenues of $311.8 million, down 1.5% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. Overall, it was a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS and revenue estimates.

“We are pleased with our third quarter results, which again demonstrate the strength and resilience of our business model,” said Mark A. Casale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Interestingly, the stock is up 2.5% since reporting and currently trades at $62.31.

Read our full report on Essent Group here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Root

Pioneering a data-driven approach that rewards good driving habits, Root is a technology-driven auto insurance company that uses mobile apps to acquire customers and data science to price policies based on individual driving behavior.

Root reported revenues of $387.8 million, up 26.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.5%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ net premiums earned estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 11.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $79.21.

Weakest Q3: Progressive

Starting as a small auto insurance company in 1937 with a pioneering focus on high-risk drivers, Progressive is a major auto, property, and commercial insurance provider that offers policies through independent agents, online platforms, and over the phone.

Progressive reported revenues of $22.51 billion, up 14.2% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 10.2% since the results and currently trades at $215.81.

Read our full analysis of Progressive’s results here.

Lemonade

Built on the principle of giving back unused premiums to charitable causes selected by policyholders, Lemonade is a technology-driven insurance company that offers homeowners, renters, pet, car, and life insurance through an AI-powered digital platform.

Lemonade reported revenues of $194.5 million, up 42.4% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 4.8%. It was a stunning quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 46.2% since reporting and currently trades at $86.58.

Read our full, actionable report on Lemonade here, it’s free.

Trupanion

Born from a vision to help pet owners avoid economic euthanasia when faced with expensive veterinary bills, Trupanion provides medical insurance for cats and dogs through data-driven, vertically-integrated products priced specifically for each pet's unique characteristics.

Trupanion reported revenues of $366.9 million, up 12.1% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 1.3%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

The stock is down 13.1% since reporting and currently trades at $36.58.

Read our full, actionable report on Trupanion here, it’s free.

Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at The Hanover Insurance Group and the best and worst performers in the property & casualty insurance industry.

Property & Casualty (P&C) insurers protect individuals and businesses against financial loss from damage to property or from legal liability. This is a cyclical industry, and the sector benefits when there is 'hard market', characterized by strong premium rate increases that outpace loss and cost inflation, resulting in robust underwriting margins. The opposite is true in a 'soft market'. Interest rates also matter, as they determine the yields earned on fixed-income portfolios. On the other hand, P&C insurers face a major secular headwind from the increasing frequency and severity of catastrophe losses due to climate change. Furthermore, the liability side of the business is pressured by 'social inflation'—the trend of rising litigation costs and larger jury awards.

The 33 property & casualty insurance stocks we track reported a strong Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 14.7%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 5% on average since the latest earnings results.

The Hanover Insurance Group

Founded in 1852 during a time when fire insurance was crucial for protecting businesses and homes, The Hanover Insurance Group provides property and casualty insurance products through independent agents, serving individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized companies.

The Hanover Insurance Group reported revenues of $1.67 billion, up 6.1% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

"Once again, our team put forth a very strong performance, not only achieving impressive financial results, but also affirming the effectiveness of our strategy and building on the positive momentum we've established across The Hanover," said John C. Roche, president and chief executive officer.

Interestingly, the stock is up 9.1% since reporting and currently trades at $183.73.

Best Q3: Root

Pioneering a data-driven approach that rewards good driving habits, Root is a technology-driven auto insurance company that uses mobile apps to acquire customers and data science to price policies based on individual driving behavior.

Root reported revenues of $387.8 million, up 26.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.5%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ net premiums earned estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 11.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $79.00.

Weakest Q3: Progressive

Starting as a small auto insurance company in 1937 with a pioneering focus on high-risk drivers, Progressive is a major auto, property, and commercial insurance provider that offers policies through independent agents, online platforms, and over the phone.

Progressive reported revenues of $22.51 billion, up 14.2% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 3.3% since the results and currently trades at $232.50.

Read our full analysis of Progressive’s results here.

Assured Guaranty

Serving as a financial safety net for over $11 trillion in debt service payments since its founding in 2003, Assured Guaranty provides credit protection products that guarantee scheduled payments on municipal bonds, infrastructure projects, and structured finance obligations.

Assured Guaranty reported revenues of $207 million, down 23% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 12.2%. Overall, it was an incredible quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Assured Guaranty had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 11.5% since reporting and currently trades at $90.82.

Read our full, actionable report on Assured Guaranty here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Essent Group

Serving as a crucial bridge between homebuyers and the American dream of homeownership, Essent Group provides private mortgage insurance and title services that enable lenders to offer home loans with down payments of less than 20%.

Essent Group reported revenues of $311.8 million, down 1.5% year on year. This result came in 1.6% below analysts' expectations. It was a softer quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $65.14.

Read our full, actionable report on Essent Group here, it’s free for active Edge members.