Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Palomar was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" to a "strong‑buy", with Zacks issuing EPS forecasts including a FY2026 EPS of $8.99 and quarterly targets into 2027.
• In the most recent quarter (reported Feb. 11) Palomar posted EPS of $2.24 vs. a $2.06 consensus and revenue of $253.36M vs. $204.58M, a 62.7% year‑over‑year revenue increase.
• Analyst consensus remains a "Buy" with an average price target of $161.75, but insiders have sold 66,632 shares (≈$8.18M) in the last 90 days while institutional ownership stands at about 90.25%.

Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Palomar's Q1 2026 earnings at $2.00 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.01 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.99 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.50 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $3.24 EPS.

PLMR has been the topic of several other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Palomar from $183.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Palomar from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Evercore assumed coverage on Palomar in a research note on Monday, February 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Palomar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Palomar from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Palomar has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $161.75.

Palomar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PLMR opened at $132.55 on Thursday. Palomar has a fifty-two week low of $107.75 and a fifty-two week high of $175.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46 and a beta of 0.54. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $124.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.92.

Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.18. Palomar had a return on equity of 22.77% and a net margin of 22.50%.The business had revenue of $253.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 62.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Palomar will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mac Armstrong sold 11,484 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.88, for a total transaction of $1,376,701.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 91,737 shares in the company, valued at $10,997,431.56. This trade represents a 11.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Jon Christianson sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $375,000.00. Following the transaction, the president owned 62,919 shares in the company, valued at $7,864,875. This represents a 4.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 66,632 shares of company stock worth $8,177,085 in the last 90 days. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Palomar by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 8,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Palomar by 81.5% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of Palomar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Summit Global Investments grew its stake in shares of Palomar by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 4,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC grew its stake in shares of Palomar by 23,887.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 1,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,911 shares during the last quarter. 90.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palomar Company Profile

Palomar Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: PLMR is a specialty insurance holding company focused on providing medical stop-loss coverage and related administrative services to self-funded employer health plans in the United States. The firm operates through two primary business segments—Medical Stop-Loss and Specialty Program Management—to deliver tailored risk protection and comprehensive program administration.

In its Medical Stop-Loss segment, Palomar underwrites excess and aggregate stop-loss policies designed to shield self-insured employers from catastrophic medical claims that exceed pre-determined retention levels.

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