AXS vs ESNT: AXIS Capital Holdings and Essent Group compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- AXIS Capital Holdings is the larger company, worth $7.3B, about 1.2 times Essent Group.
- Essent Group grew revenue faster over the last year (+13.6% vs +8.0%).
- Essent Group keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (62.0% vs 19.3%).
- On earnings, AXIS Capital Holdings is the cheaper stock (7.4x vs 9.2x).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | AXS | ESNT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $7.3B | $5.9B |
| Share price | $96.73 | $62.49 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $6.6B | $1.3B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | — | $849M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +8.0% | +13.6% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +5.4% | +5.2% |
| Operating margin | 19.3% | 62.0% |
| Net margin | 16.0% | 51.5% |
| Return on equity | 16.8% | 12.0% |
| P/E (trailing) | 7.44x | 9.18x |
| Price / free cash flow | — | 7.01x |
| EV / EBITDA | — | 7.36x |
| FCF growth the price implies | — | -9.1% |
| Dividend yield | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 4.58x | 0.34x |
| Fundamental grade | C | B |
| Superinvestors holding it | 0 | 2 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 0 | 0 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
AXIS Capital Holdings
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $5.3B | — | 12.2% |
| 2022 | $5.1B | — | 4.7% |
| 2023 | $5.6B | — | 7.1% |
| 2024 | $6.0B | — | 16.9% |
| 2025 | $6.6B | — | 18.5% |
Essent Group
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $1.0B | $707M | 80.0% |
| 2022 | $1.0B | $585M | 98.7% |
| 2023 | $1.1B | $759M | 74.2% |
| 2024 | $1.2B | $855M | 68.8% |
| 2025 | $1.3B | $849M | 65.2% |
Where the revenue comes from
AXIS Capital Holdings
No segment breakdown reported.
Essent Group · by segments, 2025
Mortgage Insurance$1.1B92%
Reinsurance$90M8%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open AXS in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, AXIS Capital Holdings or Essent Group?
AXIS Capital Holdings (AXS), at $7.3B against $5.9B.
Is AXS or ESNT cheaper?
By trailing P/E, AXIS Capital Holdings (7.44x) is cheaper than Essent Group (9.18x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, AXS or ESNT?
Essent Group: revenue grew +13.6% over the last year, against +8.0%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.