Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 12,390,000 shares, an increase of 41.1% from the February 13th total of 8,780,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 9.8 days. Currently, 8.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Radian Group Trading Up 0.0 %

RDN traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $31.52. 3,176,176 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 951,088. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $32.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.62. Radian Group has a 1-year low of $29.17 and a 1-year high of $37.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Radian Group (NYSE:RDN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.17. Radian Group had a return on equity of 13.96% and a net margin of 46.85%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Radian Group will post 3.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Radian Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Radian Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Radian Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.95%.

Insider Transactions at Radian Group

In other news, Director Gregory Serio sold 4,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.65, for a total value of $133,865.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,231.60. This trade represents a 92.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Radian Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Radian Group by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 972 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Radian Group by 61.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Radian Group by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Radian Group by 124.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Radian Group by 735.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,407 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on RDN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Radian Group from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on Radian Group from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.80.

About Radian Group

Radian Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mortgage and real estate services business in the United States. It operates through two segments, Mortgage Insurance and Homegenius segments. The Mortgage Insurance segment aggregates, manages, and distributes U.S. mortgage credit risk for mortgage lending institutions and mortgage credit investors, through private mortgage insurance on residential first-lien mortgage loans; and other credit risk management solutions, including contract underwriting.