HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• HCI Group shares reached a new **52-week high** of $193.56, closing at **$191.49** with a trading volume of 15,906 shares.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with **Wall Street Zen** downgrading it from "strong-buy" to "buy" while **Weiss Ratings** maintains a "buy (b-)" rating, resulting in an average consensus price target of **$181.25**.
• The company reported **$5.18 earnings per share (EPS)** for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and analysts predict HCI Group will post **6.78 EPS** for the current year.

HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $193.56 and last traded at $191.49, with a volume of 15906 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $189.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on HCI. Wall Street Zen downgraded HCI Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of HCI Group in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.25.

HCI Group Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $165.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18 and a beta of 1.17.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $5.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.47 by $0.71. HCI Group had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 25.84%. The firm had revenue of $221.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $218.98 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that HCI Group, Inc. will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of HCI Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Simplex Trading LLC bought a new stake in shares of HCI Group during the 1st quarter worth about $148,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in HCI Group by 16.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 596 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCI Group by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 61,664 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,202,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of HCI Group by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,897 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,417,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of HCI Group by 8,320.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 25,514 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,783,000 after buying an additional 25,211 shares in the last quarter. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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