HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE:HCI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $238.3333.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of HCI Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered HCI Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on HCI Group in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded HCI Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th.

HCI Group Trading Down 0.4%

HCI opened at $177.98 on Thursday. HCI Group has a 12-month low of $136.37 and a 12-month high of $210.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a PE ratio of 7.81 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $171.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.12.

HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $5.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.26 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $242.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.09 million. HCI Group had a net margin of 32.64% and a return on equity of 30.88%. As a group, research analysts expect that HCI Group will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCI Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. HCI Group’s payout ratio is 7.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HCI Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 839,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $160,947,000 after purchasing an additional 32,167 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of HCI Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 384,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $73,760,000 after buying an additional 17,299 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 354,884 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,870,000 after buying an additional 36,348 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of HCI Group by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 352,935 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,739,000 after buying an additional 50,378 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP grew its position in shares of HCI Group by 353.6% during the 4th quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 275,108 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $52,735,000 after buying an additional 214,464 shares during the last quarter. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.