ACT vs ESNT: Correlation
Enact Holdings, Inc. (ACT) and Essent Group Ltd. (ESNT) show a very strong relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.82.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are ACT and ESNT?
Over the past 3 years, ACT and ESNT moved with a correlation of 0.82, which is very strong, meaning they move nearly in lockstep. Little has changed lately, as the 1-year reading of 0.81 lands near the 3-year figure. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.70, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 347.8 %².
Few assets follow ACT as closely as ESNT, which ranks #1 of 12 tracked partners. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months ACT outperformed by 21.1 percentage points (+31.3% for ACT against +10.2% for ESNT).
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
ACT vs ESNT: side by side
| ACT (Enact Holdings, Inc.) | ESNT (Essent Group Ltd.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +31.3% | +10.2% |
| 5-year return | +200.2% | +62.5% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 19.7% | 21.4% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.46 | 0.57 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -15.3% | -18.4% |
| Market cap | $6.7B | $6.2B |
| P/E (trailing) | 10.4 | 9.7 |
| Dividend yield | 1.77% | 1.90% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | ACT | ESNT |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +24.1% | -12.8% |
| 2023 | +25.8% | +38.6% |
| 2024 | +14.7% | +5.2% |
| 2025 | +25.2% | +20.7% |
| 2026 | +25.6% | +7.9% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are ACT and ESNT good diversifiers for each other?
Not really. At 0.82, the two trade almost as one position, and owning both buys little extra protection.
FAQ
What is the correlation between ACT and ESNT?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between ACT and ESNT is 0.82 over 3 years, 0.81 over 1 year and 0.70 over 5 years.
Is ESNT a good diversifier for ACT?
Not really. At 0.82, the two trade almost as one position, and owning both buys little extra protection.
What does a correlation of 0.82 mean?
Correlation ranges from −1 to +1. Values near +1 mean two assets move together, near 0 that they move independently, and negative values that they tend to move in opposite directions. It measures co-movement, not performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/act-vs-esnt.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/act-vs-esnt/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: ACT correlations · ESNT correlations
