Saturday, February 14

Assessing Palomar Holdings (PLMR) Valuation After Earnings Beat And Underwriting Concerns


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Palomar Holdings (PLMR) stock moved after its fourth quarter 2025 report, where revenue reached US$253.36 million and net income was US$56.17 million, but underwriting results and the combined ratio fell short of market expectations.

See our latest analysis for Palomar Holdings.

The Q4 2025 earnings release and the new US$450 million unsecured credit facilities have kept Palomar in focus, with the 1-day share price return of 4.01% helping the stock recover some of the nearly 10% drop that followed concerns over underwriting profitability. Even so, momentum looks more measured, with a 7-day share price return of 3.51% and a 1-year total shareholder return of 4.08% compared with a much stronger 3-year total shareholder return that is well over 100%.

If this earnings swing has you thinking about insurance peers and beyond, it could be a good time to broaden your search and look at 23 top founder-led companies as potential next candidates to research.

With Palomar trading at US$132.10, showing a sizeable intrinsic value discount estimate and around 23% room to current analyst targets, you have to ask: is the recent wobble a chance to buy, or is the market already pricing in future growth?

At $132.10, the most followed narrative sees Palomar Holdings as trading below an implied fair value of about $160.67, with that gap framed by detailed growth and margin assumptions.

Ongoing investment in proprietary technology, data analytics, and advanced underwriting disciplines is improving risk assessment and pricing accuracy, already reflected in strong combined ratios and low loss ratios, which should continue to enhance underwriting profitability and expand net margins over time.

Digital distribution and adoption of automated underwriting and claims technology are creating structural cost advantages, lowering operational expenses and potentially improving net margins, especially in lower competition or higher barrier-to-entry admitted markets such as residential earthquake, Hawaii hurricane, and builders risk.

Read the complete narrative.

Want to see what kind of revenue growth and profit profile has to line up for that fair value to make sense? The narrative leans on compounded premium expansion, firm underwriting discipline, and a future earnings multiple that sits above the broader insurance group. Curious how those ingredients fit together and what that implies for long term earnings power? The full narrative lays out the assumptions line by line.

Result: Fair Value of $160.67 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what’s behind the forecasts.

However, this depends on catastrophe-exposed lines avoiding outsized losses and on reinsurance costs staying manageable, rather than compressing margins and challenging those fair value assumptions.

Find out about the key risks to this Palomar Holdings narrative.

That 17.8% undervaluation story sits uncomfortably next to the current P/E of 17.8x, which is roughly double peer levels at 8.6x and well above the US Insurance average of 12.3x. It is also richer than the 15.1x fair ratio the market could lean toward. How much valuation risk are you really taking on here?

See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

NasdaqGS:PLMR P/E Ratio as at Feb 2026
NasdaqGS:PLMR P/E Ratio as at Feb 2026

If you look at the numbers and reach a different conclusion, or simply want to test your own view, you can build a custom thesis in just a few minutes, starting with Do it your way.

A great starting point for your Palomar Holdings research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.

Do not stop with a single insurance name; use this window to line up a few fresh ideas so you are ready when the next opportunity appears.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include PLMR.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com



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