James River Group (NASDAQ:JRVR) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of James River Group (NASDAQ:JRVR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on JRVR. Compass Point cut James River Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Raymond James Financial set a $7.00 target price on James River Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of James River Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of James River Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.40.

James River Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JRVR opened at $6.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $303.84 million, a P/E ratio of -3.18 and a beta of -0.02. James River Group has a 52-week low of $3.00 and a 52-week high of $6.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $6.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.74.

James River Group (NASDAQ:JRVR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.06. James River Group had a negative net margin of 7.64% and a positive return on equity of 7.11%. The business had revenue of $172.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.21 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that James River Group will post -0.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

James River Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. James River Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James River Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of James River Group by 87.1% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 44,767 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 20,844 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in James River Group by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,142 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 1,772 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in James River Group by 81.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 156,324 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $868,000 after buying an additional 70,183 shares in the last quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. lifted its holdings in James River Group by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. now owns 434,657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,412,000 after buying an additional 118,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in James River Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. Institutional investors own 95.21% of the company’s stock.

James River Group Company Profile

James River Group Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, underwrites property and casualty insurance products primarily in the program, wholesale broker and retail broker markets. The company focuses on specialty P&C lines, offering binding authority and delegated underwriting solutions for niche sectors including professional liability, environmental, real estate and other tailored commercial risks. Operating under the James River brand, it provides both admitted and non-admitted insurance across multiple states.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, James River Group has expanded through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.