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Essent Group Ltd.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 8 May 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income down, diluted EPS up: Net income was $171.8 million against $175.4 million a year earlier. Diluted EPS was $1.82 against $1.69, on 94.6 million diluted weighted average shares against 103.9 million. Source
  • Mortgage Insurance combined ratio 34.8%: Mortgage Insurance income before taxes was $190.1 million. Its loss ratio was 17.4% and expense ratio 17.4%, giving a 34.8% combined ratio, against 32.9% a year earlier and 42.0% in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Reinsurance combined ratio 69.6%: Reinsurance combined ratio was 69.6%, on a loss ratio of 33.9% and a provision of $9.9 million. Segment income before taxes was $15.5 million, against $20.9 million a year earlier. Source
  • New insurance written $11.1 billion: New insurance written was $11.1 billion, against $11.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 and $9.9 billion a year earlier. New risk written was $2.9 billion. Source
  • Prior-year reserves reduced the provision: Provision for losses and LAE included a $25.2 million reduction of prior-year reserves, against $18.2 million a year earlier. Current-period provision was $62.8 million, against $48.9 million. Source
  • Default rate rose to 2.54%: Loans in default rose to 20,332, or 2.54% of insured loans, against 20,210 (2.50%) at December 31, 2025 and 17,759 (2.19%) a year earlier. New defaults were 11,100. Source
  • PMIERs sufficiency ratio 174%: Essent Guaranty statutory capital was $3.68 billion, against $3.57 billion at year-end 2025. PMIERs sufficiency ratio was 174%, against 169%, with $1.55 billion of excess Available Assets. Source
  • Share repurchases through April 30: Through April 30, 2026, the company repurchased about 3.5 million common shares for over $214 million in the year to date. Source

“We are pleased with our first quarter 2026 financial results, which continued to benefit from favorable credit trends and the impact of interest rates on both persistency and investment income”

Mark A. Casale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Essent Guaranty entered an excess of loss reinsurance transaction with third-party reinsurers, effective July 1, 2027, covering business written in calendar 2027. Source
  • New: Essent Re began property and casualty quota share agreements backed by Funds at Lloyd's, effective in the first quarter of 2026.
  • Ended: XOL 2019-1 excess of loss reinsurance terminated as of February 2026. Source

Earnings and revenue for the quarter

  • Net income down, diluted EPS up: Net income was $171.8 million against $175.4 million a year earlier. Diluted EPS was $1.82 against $1.69, on 94.6 million diluted weighted average shares against 103.9 million. Source
  • Increase from fourth quarter 2025: Compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, net income rose from $155.0 million and diluted EPS from $1.60. Total revenues were $336.1 million against $312.4 million in that quarter.
  • Revenue growth from premiums and income: Total revenues were $336.1 million against $317.6 million a year earlier. Net premiums earned were $260.1 million against $245.8 million, and income from other invested assets was $10.2 million. Source
  • Pre-tax income flat, tax higher: Income before income taxes was $206.7 million, against $207.0 million a year earlier. Income tax expense was $34.9 million, against $31.6 million. Source

Mortgage Insurance and reinsurance segments

  • Mortgage Insurance combined ratio 34.8%: Mortgage Insurance income before taxes was $190.1 million. Its loss ratio was 17.4% and expense ratio 17.4%, giving a 34.8% combined ratio, against 32.9% a year earlier and 42.0% in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Reinsurance combined ratio 69.6%: Reinsurance combined ratio was 69.6%, on a loss ratio of 33.9% and a provision of $9.9 million. Segment income before taxes was $15.5 million, against $20.9 million a year earlier. Source
  • Corporate and Other moved to income: Corporate & Other, which includes title insurance and holding company treasury, had income before taxes of $1.1 million, against a loss of $7.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Non-mortgage reinsurance premiums rose: Non-mortgage net premiums written were $156.4 million, against $0.2 million a year earlier. Mortgage reinsurance net premiums written were $13.2 million. Source

“The strong cash flow generation from our core mortgage insurance business and the strength of our buy, manage and distribute operating model have enabled us to take a balanced approach to capital management.”

Mark A. Casale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mortgage volumes, customers and portfolio

  • New insurance written $11.1 billion: New insurance written was $11.1 billion, against $11.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 and $9.9 billion a year earlier. New risk written was $2.9 billion. Source
  • Insurance in force $247.9 billion: Insurance in force was $247.9 billion at March 31, 2026, against $248.4 billion at December 31, 2025 and $244.7 billion a year earlier. Policies in force were 801,394. Source
  • Refinance share of new business rose: Purchase loans were 72.4% of new insurance written, against 94.3% a year earlier. Refinance loans were 27.6%, against 5.7%. Source
  • Annual persistency at 84.7%: Annual persistency was 84.7%, against 85.7% in the fourth quarter and in the first quarter of 2025. The release cites interest rates as affecting persistency. Source
  • Average credit score on new business: Weighted average credit score on new business was 756, against 757 in the fourth quarter and 751 a year earlier. 55.2% of new insurance written was at 760 or above. Source

Losses, defaults and reserves

  • Prior-year reserves reduced the provision: Provision for losses and LAE included a $25.2 million reduction of prior-year reserves, against $18.2 million a year earlier. Current-period provision was $62.8 million, against $48.9 million. Source
  • Default rate rose to 2.54%: Loans in default rose to 20,332, or 2.54% of insured loans, against 20,210 (2.50%) at December 31, 2025 and 17,759 (2.19%) a year earlier. New defaults were 11,100. Source
  • Cure rate on new defaults 30%: Cure rate on the quarter's new defaults was 30%, with 7,785 of them still in default at March 31, 2026. Severity was 84%, against 80% in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Loss reserves rose to $458.9 million: Reserve for losses and LAE was $458.9 million, against $429.6 million at December 31, 2025, including IBNR of $31.8 million and case reserves of $424.0 million. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Corporate allocations to Mortgage Insurance: Mortgage Insurance absorbed $11.5 million of corporate expense allocations, against $9.2 million in the fourth quarter and $12.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Net premium rate 0.35%: Net average premium rate was 0.35%, against 0.34% in the fourth quarter and 0.36% a year earlier. Gross average premium rate was 0.41% and ceded premiums 0.06%. Source
  • Discrete tax on investment gains: Income tax expense in the quarter included $2.4 million of discrete tax expense tied to realized and unrealized gains, against $1.6 million a year earlier. Source

Investment income and yield

  • Net investment income $59.3 million: Net investment income was $59.3 million, against $58.2 million a year earlier and $59.2 million in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Pre-tax portfolio yield 3.80%: Pre-tax yield on cash and investments available for sale was 3.80%, against 3.84% in the fourth quarter. Return on other invested assets was 10.56%. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • PMIERs sufficiency ratio 174%: Essent Guaranty statutory capital was $3.68 billion, against $3.57 billion at year-end 2025. PMIERs sufficiency ratio was 174%, against 169%, with $1.55 billion of excess Available Assets. Source
  • Share repurchases through April 30: Through April 30, 2026, the company repurchased about 3.5 million common shares for over $214 million in the year to date. Source
  • Debt-to-capital 8.07%: Senior notes of $500 million carry a 6.25% weighted average interest rate. Debt-to-capital was 8.07%, against 7.99% at year-end 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 8 May 2026

  • Dividend payable June 10: The quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per common share is payable June 10, 2026 to shareholders of record on June 1, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Combined ratio SourceMortgage Insurance 34.8%; Reinsurance 69.6%
Net premiums written Source$394.7 million
Prior-year reserve development Source$25.2 million reduction
Book value per share Source$61.20

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management describes its capital management as a balanced approach, consistent with the prior release. No status is given for this commitment. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.