Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) Upgraded 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 released on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded 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, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Kingstone Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ KINS opened at $19.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.73 million, a PE ratio of 7.93 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.70. Kingstone Companies has a 12-month low of $13.08 and a 12-month high of $20.90.

Kingstone Companies (NASDAQ:KINS) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $65.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. As a group, analysts expect that Kingstone Companies will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Kingstone Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This is a boost from Kingstone Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Kingstone Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 8.26%.

Insider Activity at Kingstone Companies

In related news, Director Thomas Newgarden bought 15,201 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.36 per share, for a total transaction of $218,286.36. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 85,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,225,855.76. This trade represents a 21.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 29,201 shares of company stock valued at $431,206. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KINS. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kingstone Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $15,800,000. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in Kingstone Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $7,551,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Kingstone Companies by 484.9% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 285,834 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,759,000 after acquiring an additional 236,968 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kingstone Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,941,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Kingstone Companies by 130.9% during the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.91% of the company’s stock.

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.