Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kingstone Companies from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Kingstone Companies Trading Down 8.5%

Shares of NASDAQ KINS opened at $19.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Kingstone Companies has a 12 month low of $13.08 and a 12 month high of $20.90. The company has a market cap of $275.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.67.

Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $65.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $71.70 million. Kingstone Companies had a return on equity of 31.73% and a net margin of 14.85%.Kingstone Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Kingstone Companies will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Kingstone Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, May 19th that allows the company to buyback 1,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kingstone Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This is a boost from Kingstone Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. Kingstone Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 9.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kingstone Companies news, Director Thomas Newgarden bought 15,301 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.52 per share, for a total transaction of $222,170.52. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 70,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,018,795.80. This trade represents a 27.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 44,502 shares of company stock worth $653,377. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KINS. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Kingstone Companies by 484.9% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 285,834 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,759,000 after buying an additional 236,968 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kingstone Companies by 9.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 1,448 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kingstone Companies by 62.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 65,392 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 25,074 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kingstone Companies during the first quarter worth $495,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kingstone Companies by 130.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 253,624 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,909,000 after purchasing an additional 143,806 shares during the last quarter. 14.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kingstone Companies

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.