Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC – Get Free Report) and Essent Group (NYSE:ESNT – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations and profitability.
Profitability
This table compares Stewart Information Services and Essent Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Stewart Information Services | 4.19% | 10.07% | 5.17% |
| Essent Group | 53.64% | 12.01% | 9.28% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
96.9% of Stewart Information Services shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.0% of Essent Group shares are held by institutional investors. 2.9% of Stewart Information Services shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.6% of Essent Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Dividends
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings for Stewart Information Services and Essent Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Stewart Information Services | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Essent Group | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2.40 |
Stewart Information Services currently has a consensus price target of $81.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.11%. Essent Group has a consensus price target of $68.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.71%. Given Stewart Information Services’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Stewart Information Services is more favorable than Essent Group.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Stewart Information Services and Essent Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Stewart Information Services | $2.92 billion | 0.71 | $115.54 million | $4.48 | 15.18 |
| Essent Group | $1.26 billion | 4.58 | $689.97 million | $7.02 | 8.75 |
Essent Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Stewart Information Services. Essent Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Stewart Information Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility and Risk
Stewart Information Services has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Essent Group has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Essent Group beats Stewart Information Services on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Stewart Information Services
Stewart Information Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance and real estate transaction related services in the United States and internationally. The company involves in searching, examining, closing, and insuring the condition of the title to real property. It also offers home and personal insurance services; services for tax-deferred exchanges; and digital customer engagement platform services. It also provides appraisal management, online notarization and closing, credit and real estate information, and search and valuation services. The company serves homebuyers and sellers, residential and commercial real estate professionals, mortgage lenders and servicers, title agencies and real estate attorneys, and home builders through direct operations, network of independent agencies, and other businesses. The company was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
About Essent Group
Essent Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance and reinsurance for mortgages secured by residential properties located in the United States. Its mortgage insurance products include primary, pool, and master policy. The company also provides information technology maintenance and development services; customer support-related services; underwriting consulting; and contract underwriting services, as well as risk management products and title insurance and settlement services. It serves the originators of residential mortgage loans, such as regulated depository institutions, mortgage banks, credit unions, and other lenders. Essent Group Ltd. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
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