Essent Group price target raised to $64 from $62 at Keefe Bruyette

Keefe Bruyette raised the firm’s price target on Essent Group to $64 from $62 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. The analyst says benign residential mortgage credit has driven strong returns on equity for the mortgage insurers but slowing growth could raise more questions surrounding capital return as buybacks become less accretive given higher valuations.