Wall Street Zen Upgrades HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) to Strong-Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) from a "buy" to a strong-buy rating on Sunday, joining Zacks Research's recent upgrade while Weiss Ratings recently downgraded the stock to a hold.
• Analyst consensus shows one Strong Buy, four Buy and two Hold ratings, leaving HCI with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $231.67.
• HCI reported quarterly EPS of $7.25, beating estimates by $2.38 on $246.24M in revenue, and posted strong profitability metrics (ROE 36.34%, net margin 33.19%), with analysts forecasting 16.88 EPS for the year.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded HCI Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of HCI Group in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded HCI Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HCI Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $231.67.

HCI Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of HCI Group stock opened at $152.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.09. HCI Group has a 52-week low of $136.37 and a 52-week high of $210.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $158.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.11.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $7.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.87 by $2.38. The firm had revenue of $246.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.36 million. HCI Group had a return on equity of 36.34% and a net margin of 33.19%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that HCI Group will post 16.88 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCI Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 184 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. NDVR Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HCI Group by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 1,236 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of HCI Group by 2.0% during the 4th 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 last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of HCI Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,794 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of HCI Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,253 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,157,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

HCI Group Company Profile

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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