HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Buy": Seven brokerages rate HCI Group a Buy (five Buy, one Strong Buy, one Hold) with an average 12‑month price target of $231.67.
• Strong quarterly results but low valuation: HCI reported Q EPS of $7.25 (vs. $4.87 est.) and revenue of $246.24M, with a 33.2% net margin and 36.3% ROE, while the stock trades near $151.22 (about a P/E 6.7), suggesting potential upside to analyst targets.

HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.6667.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HCI shares. Zacks Research upgraded HCI Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of HCI Group in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of HCI Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Trading of HCI Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HCI. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of HCI Group by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 184 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. NDVR Inc. lifted its stake in HCI Group by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 1,236 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in HCI Group by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,711 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in HCI Group by 2.0% during the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,794 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in HCI Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,253 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,157,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 86.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HCI Group Stock Down 1.2%

HCI traded down $1.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $151.22. 17,037 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 144,620. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.67 and a beta of 1.19. HCI Group has a 1-year low of $129.58 and a 1-year high of $210.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $161.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.87 by $2.38. HCI Group had a net margin of 33.19% and a return on equity of 36.34%. The firm had revenue of $246.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.36 million. Sell-side analysts predict that HCI Group will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HCI Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. HCI Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.05%.

About HCI Group

HCI Group, Inc NYSE: HCI is a holding company whose principal business is the underwriting and issuance of property and casualty insurance through its insurance subsidiaries. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the company focuses primarily on personal-line insurance products, writing homeowners, condominium, renters and mobile home policies. HCI Group also offers wind-only and flood coverage in coastal regions across the state, providing tailored solutions to both coastal and non-coastal communities.

The company distributes its insurance products through a network of independent agents and brokers, leveraging local market expertise to assess risk and deliver personalized service.

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