HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) Sets New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• HCI Group's stock reached a new 52-week high of $183.93, closing at $182.65, with recent trading volume recorded at 15,017 shares.
• The company reported a strong quarterly earnings performance, with earnings per share of $5.18, exceeding analyst estimates, and is projected to post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in HCI Group, owning approximately 86.99% of the company's stock, indicating strong backing from major financial players.

HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $183.93 and last traded at $182.65, with a volume of 15017 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $180.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HCI. Compass Point upgraded shares of HCI Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $205.00 in a report on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded HCI Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $181.25.

HCI Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.42 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $157.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.33.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $5.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.47 by $0.71. HCI Group had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 25.84%. The business had revenue of $221.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $218.98 million. Analysts expect that HCI Group, Inc. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

HCI Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. HCI Group's payout ratio is presently 14.18%.

Institutional Trading of HCI Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in HCI Group by 208.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 36,863 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,296,000 after acquiring an additional 24,907 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,897 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $804,000 after purchasing an additional 2,381 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,702 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HCI Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of HCI Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,526,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

HCI Group Company Profile

HCI Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the property and casualty insurance, insurance management, reinsurance, real estate, and information technology businesses in Florida. It provides residential insurance products, such as homeowners, fire, flood, and wind-only insurance to homeowners, condominium owners, and tenants for properties, as well as offers reinsurance programs.