Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Sunday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kingstone Companies in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Kingstone Companies Price Performance

NASDAQ:KINS opened at $19.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.11 million, a P/E ratio of 8.14 and a beta of 0.43. Kingstone Companies has a 1-year low of $13.08 and a 1-year high of $20.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $18.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.09. Kingstone Companies had a net margin of 14.85% and a return on equity of 30.78%. The company had revenue of $65.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $71.70 million. Kingstone Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kingstone Companies will post 2.65 EPS for the current year.

Kingstone Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This is a positive change from Kingstone Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Kingstone Companies’s payout ratio is presently 9.92%.

Kingstone Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 19th that permits the company to buyback 1,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Thomas Newgarden acquired 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.99 per share, for a total transaction of $119,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 99,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,489,496.34. The trade was a 8.76% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kingstone Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Kingstone Companies by 80.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,287 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Kingstone Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kingstone Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in Kingstone Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in Kingstone Companies by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 6,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 3,257 shares during the period. 14.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kingstone Companies Company Profile

Kingstone Companies, Inc is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company whose primary focus lies in personal and commercial insurance products. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kingstone Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad portfolio of property and casualty lines, including private passenger auto, homeowners, inland marine, umbrella, and various small‐commercial coverage options. Distribution is handled predominantly through a network of independent agents, allowing Kingstone to maintain strong broker relationships and responsive service for policyholders.

The company was incorporated in Delaware in 2010 and commenced operations following the acquisition of Kingstone Insurance Company in early 2011.