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AIZ vs ESNT
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Assurant (AIZ) vs. Essent Group (ESNT) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Assurant (AIZ) has delivered a 52% one-year total return, significantly outpacing Essent Group (ESNT) at approximately 19%, reflecting divergent sector tailwinds in specialty protection versus mortgage insurance.
- AIZ operates a diversified B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) model spanning device, housing, and auto protection globally; ESNT is concentrated in U.S. private mortgage insurance and reinsurance, making it more sensitive to housing affordability and interest rate cycles.
- ESNT trades at a notably lower valuation — a P/E (price-to-earnings) ratio of roughly 9 versus AIZ at roughly 14 — and offers a higher dividend yield of approximately 2.2% compared to AIZ's 1.3%.
- Both companies maintain strong balance sheets, but AIZ has shown stronger earnings momentum with double-digit EPS (earnings per share) growth, while ESNT's earnings have been more stable but rangebound.
- Recent insider activity at ESNT includes pre-scheduled CEO share sales totaling over $2 million, while AIZ has demonstrated continued execution on share buybacks and dividend growth.
- AIZ's three-month price gain of roughly 21% versus ESNT's 4% highlights a meaningful divergence in near-term market sentiment and momentum.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines two distinctly positioned insurance-sector companies — AIZ (Assurant, Inc.) and ESNT (Essent Group Ltd.) — that appeal to different types of investors despite both operating under the broad insurance umbrella. Assurant is a Fortune 500 global protection company with a diversified B2B2C model covering connected devices, homes, and automobiles across 21 countries. Essent Group, by contrast, is a specialized private mortgage insurance and reinsurance provider primarily serving the U.S. housing market. For traders evaluating relative performance, sector exposure, and growth trajectories, understanding how these two companies diverge — in business model, momentum, valuation, and risk profile — offers a practical lens into the specialty insurance landscape.
AIZ Overview and Recent Performance
AIZ, Assurant, Inc., is a premier global protection company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company operates through two primary segments: Global Lifestyle, which provides mobile device protection, extended service contracts for consumer electronics and appliances, and vehicle protection services; and Global Housing, which offers lender-placed homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and flood protection products. Assurant partners with many of the world's leading brands — including telecom providers, auto dealers, and financial institutions — to deliver embedded insurance solutions to end consumers.
In recent market activity, AIZ shares have shown notable strength, climbing approximately 21% over the trailing three-month period and roughly 52% over the past year. The stock has traded near the upper end of its 52-week range, supported by strong earnings execution. Assurant's most recent quarterly results highlighted a 25% year-over-year increase in adjusted earnings per share, driven by robust performance in Global Housing — where improved loss experience and favorable reserve development boosted profitability — and steady contribution from Global Lifestyle. The company's market capitalization has grown to approximately $13.7 billion, and management has raised its full-year outlook, signaling confidence in sustained momentum. With a beta of 0.56, AIZ has exhibited relatively low volatility compared to the broader market, a characteristic that may appeal to stability-oriented investors.
ESNT Overview and Recent Performance
ESNT, Essent Group Ltd., is a Bermuda-based private mortgage insurance holding company. Through its primary subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, the company provides credit protection to U.S. mortgage lenders, enabling low-down-payment lending by mitigating default risk on residential mortgage loans. Essent has also been expanding its reinsurance platform — Essent Re — into property and casualty lines, including a recent entry into the Lloyd's market, and offers title insurance and settlement services. The company's mortgage insurance portfolio stood at approximately $248 billion of insurance in force, supported by high credit quality with a weighted average FICO score of 747.
Over recent weeks, ESNT shares have posted a monthly gain of roughly 7%, though the stock's three-month return of approximately 4% and year-to-date return near 2% reflect more measured momentum compared to AIZ. The one-year return of roughly 19% remains solid. Essent reported Q1 2026 earnings that surpassed analyst expectations, with $1.82 in diluted EPS on $336 million in revenue. The company maintains a strong capital position, with a PMIERs (Private Mortgage Insurer Eligibility Requirements) sufficiency ratio of 174% and holding-company liquidity of approximately $1.1 billion. Capital returns remain a central theme: Essent repurchased approximately 3.5 million shares year-to-date through April and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.35 per share. However, recent insider sales by the CEO — executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan — have drawn attention, with transactions totaling more than $2 million in early July, occurring near the stock's 52-week highs.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The contrast between AIZ and ESNT begins with business model diversification. Assurant's B2B2C approach spans multiple industries — mobile devices, consumer electronics, automobiles, and housing — across 21 countries, providing natural revenue diversification and reduced sensitivity to any single macroeconomic variable. Essent Group, however, remains heavily concentrated in U.S. residential mortgage credit risk, where housing affordability, mortgage rates, and origination volumes are the dominant drivers.
On valuation, ESNT holds a clear advantage on traditional metrics. With a trailing P/E ratio of approximately 9 and a price-to-book ratio near 1.04, Essent trades at a meaningful discount to AIZ's P/E of roughly 14. This valuation gap partly reflects Essent's slower growth profile — revenue grew only 1.4% in fiscal 2025 compared to Assurant's 7.9% — and the market's cautious stance on mortgage-insurance stocks amid elevated interest rates and constrained housing affordability. ESNT also offers a higher dividend yield of about 2.2% versus AIZ's 1.3%, which may appeal to income-focused investors.
Momentum and sentiment, however, favor AIZ. The stock's 21% three-month surge versus ESNT's 4% gain underscores stronger institutional conviction in Assurant's earnings trajectory. AIZ has benefited from improving loss ratios in its housing segment, above-average catastrophe experience, and successful technology investments, including AI-enabled platforms. Essent, by contrast, faces persistent headwinds from a sluggish mortgage origination market, with insurance-in-force growth described by management as "modest." Both companies are actively returning capital to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, but Assurant's broader earnings growth runway provides a more compelling narrative for growth-oriented investors.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trend consistency, relative momentum, earnings trajectory, and diversification characteristics, Tickeron's AI-driven analytical framework would likely express a near-term preference for AIZ over ESNT. The combination of stronger price momentum — AIZ gaining roughly 21% over three months versus ESNT's 4% — coupled with robust earnings beats and upward guidance revisions, creates a favorable trend-following signal. Essent Group's lower valuation and higher dividend yield present a compelling value case, and its credit quality remains excellent, but the absence of a near-term catalyst to unlock faster growth — given the housing market's affordability constraints — may limit relative outperformance in the current environment. AIZ's diversified revenue streams across geographies and product lines provide a broader set of growth levers, which tends to be rewarded by trend-oriented models. That said, ESNT's capital discipline and discounted valuation could make it an attractive candidate should mortgage market conditions improve. As always, this assessment reflects probabilistic AI-driven analysis rather than a definitive prediction.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is AIZ is a Hold and ESNT is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
AIZ’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileESNT’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s).
- AIZ’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- ESNT’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
AIZ’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while ESNT’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- AIZ’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
- ESNT’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
AIZ (@Property/Casualty Insurance) experienced а +0.81% price change this week, while ESNT (@Specialty Insurance) price change was +0.32% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Property/Casualty Insurance industry was +0.46%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +0.62%, and the average quarterly price growth was +12.92%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Specialty Insurance industry was -1.26%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.34%, and the average quarterly price growth was +2.14%.
Reported Earning Dates
AIZ is expected to report earnings on Aug 04, 2026.
ESNT is expected to report earnings on Aug 07, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Property/Casualty Insurance (+0.46% weekly)Property and casualty companies insure against accidents of non-physical harm, such as lawsuits, damage to personal assets, car crashes and more. Progressive Corporation, Travelers Companies, Inc. and Allstate Corporation are some of the biggest providers of such products.
@Specialty Insurance (-1.26% weekly)Specialty insurance typically caters to niche-markets, and covers items that are special or unique and/or items that are not typically covered under other insurance policies. Restoration or purchase of a one-of-a-kind collector’s item, high-value home, recreational vehicles, sailboat or even jet skis, horses and farms, all-terrain vehicle, funerals, museums and fine art collections are some examples– one or more of which are covered by a specialty insurance provider. In some cases, a specialty insurance could also complement someone’s existing auto, home and umbrella policies. Markel Corp, for Fidelity National Financial, Inc., Assurant, Inc. and Athene Holding Ltd. are examples of specialty insurance providers.
| AIZ | ESNT | AIZ / ESNT | |
| Capitalization | 13.8B | 6.08B | 227% |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | - |
| Gain YTD | 16.789 | 2.702 | 621% |
| P/E Ratio | 14.31 | 9.38 | 153% |
| Revenue | 13.2B | 1.31B | 1,010% |
| Total Cash | N/A | 6.18B | - |
| Total Debt | 2.21B | 496M | 445% |
AIZ | ESNT | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 24 | 92 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 52 Fair valued | 75 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 29 | 24 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 58 | 68 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 14 | 46 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 52 | 34 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
AIZ's Valuation (52) in the Specialty Insurance industry is in the same range as ESNT (75). This means that AIZ’s stock grew similarly to ESNT’s over the last 12 months.
ESNT's Profit vs Risk Rating (24) in the Specialty Insurance industry is in the same range as AIZ (29). This means that ESNT’s stock grew similarly to AIZ’s over the last 12 months.
AIZ's SMR Rating (58) in the Specialty Insurance industry is in the same range as ESNT (68). This means that AIZ’s stock grew similarly to ESNT’s over the last 12 months.
AIZ's Price Growth Rating (14) in the Specialty Insurance industry is in the same range as ESNT (46). This means that AIZ’s stock grew similarly to ESNT’s over the last 12 months.
ESNT's P/E Growth Rating (34) in the Specialty Insurance industry is in the same range as AIZ (52). This means that ESNT’s stock grew similarly to AIZ’s over the last 12 months.
| AIZ | ESNT | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 44% | 3 days ago 67% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 50% | 3 days ago 55% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 64% | 3 days ago 56% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 53% | 3 days ago 48% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 57% | 3 days ago 58% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 58% | 3 days ago 52% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 10 days ago 54% | 5 days ago 59% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 19 days ago 45% | 3 days ago 50% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 38% | 3 days ago 56% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 59% | 3 days ago 46% |
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AIZ and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, AIZ has been closely correlated with AXS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if AIZ jumps, then AXS could also see price increases.
ESNT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ESNT has been closely correlated with NMIH. These tickers have moved in lockstep 85% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ESNT jumps, then NMIH could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ESNT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESNT | 100% | -0.75% | ||
| NMIH - ESNT | 85% Closely correlated | +1.98% | ||
| MTG - ESNT | 84% Closely correlated | -1.35% | ||
| ACT - ESNT | 79% Closely correlated | -0.36% | ||
| RDN - ESNT | 76% Closely correlated | +0.46% | ||
| AIZ - ESNT | 57% Loosely correlated | -1.16% | ||
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