Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on PLMR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Palomar from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Palomar from $170.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Evercore began coverage on Palomar in a report on Monday, February 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Palomar from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palomar currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $163.00.

Palomar Stock Performance

Shares of PLMR opened at $123.71 on Friday. Palomar has a one year low of $107.75 and a one year high of $175.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $128.55 and its 200-day moving average is $123.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23 and a beta of 0.44.

Palomar (NASDAQ:PLMR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $253.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.58 million. Palomar had a net margin of 22.50% and a return on equity of 22.77%. Palomar’s revenue was up 62.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. Analysts forecast that Palomar will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Palomar news, CFO T Christopher Uchida sold 2,103 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.88, for a total value of $252,107.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,375,383.24. This represents a 15.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mac Armstrong sold 11,484 shares of Palomar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.88, for a total transaction of $1,376,701.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,997,431.56. This trade represents a 11.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 58,999 shares of company stock worth $7,253,229 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Palomar

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palomar during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Palomar by 210.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Palomar by 1,970.0% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Palomar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Palomar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.25% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palomar

Here are the key news stories impacting Palomar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised FY2026 EPS to $9.00 (from $8.00) and boosted FY2027 to $9.60 and FY2028 to $12.60 — a sizeable multi‑year upgrade that implies stronger forward profitability. MarketBeat PLMR
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks lifted several near‑term quarterly estimates: Q1 2026 to $2.07 (from $1.89), Q2 2026 to $1.95 (from $1.87), and Q3 2026 to $2.67 (from $1.91). They also raised Q1–Q3 2027 quarterlies (Q1 2027 to $2.46, Q2 2027 to $2.30, Q3 2027 to $2.82), reflecting a consistent upward revision pattern. MarketBeat PLMR
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks feature summarizing Street views notes the average analyst price target implies roughly 36.2% upside for PLMR — a bullish signal for sentiment but not a guarantee of price moves. Wall Street Analysts Think Palomar Could Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q4 2026 estimate slightly to $2.30 from $2.34 — a modest downgrade that appears isolated versus broad upward revisions elsewhere. MarketBeat PLMR

About Palomar

Palomar Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: PLMR) is a specialty insurance holding company focused on providing medical stop-loss coverage and related administrative services to self-funded employer health plans in the United States. The firm operates through two primary business segments—Medical Stop-Loss and Specialty Program Management—to deliver tailored risk protection and comprehensive program administration.

In its Medical Stop-Loss segment, Palomar underwrites excess and aggregate stop-loss policies designed to shield self-insured employers from catastrophic medical claims that exceed pre-determined retention levels.