Which is better, HCI or PLMR?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR) currently grades higher than HCI — 73/100 (B grade) vs 67/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — HCI wins on Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; PLMR wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, and Philip Fisher. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy HCI or PLMR?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both HCI and PLMR are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is HCI better than PLMR for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, PLMR currently grades higher — 73/100 vs 67/100, a 6-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between HCI and PLMR on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). HCI currently scores 67/100 (C grade); PLMR scores 73/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, HCI or PLMR?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. HCI and PLMR are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, HCI or PLMR?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are HCI and PLMR both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both HCI Group, Inc. (HCI) and Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this HCI vs PLMR comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

HCI Group

Palomar Holdings

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

HCI

HCI Group

Market cap

$2.01B

Sector

Financials

PLMR

Palomar Holdings

Market cap

$3.02B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Palomar Holdings PLMR

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	HCI	PLMR	Winner
Warren Buffett	67C	73B	PLMR
Benjamin Graham	40D	63C	PLMR
Philip Fisher	70C	74B	PLMR
Peter Lynch	75C	60C	HCI
Joel Greenblatt	36D	31F	HCI
Charlie Munger	58D	56C	HCI
Terry Smith	64D	57C	HCI

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	HCI	PLMR
Market cap	$2.01B	$3.02B
P/E (TTM)	6.0x	15.5x
EV/EBIT	2.5x	13.0x
ROIC (TTM)	14.54%	11.53%
Gross margin	66.54%	60.65%
Net margin	32.64%	20.15%
Revenue CAGR 5y	22.31%	37.12%
EPS CAGR 5y	2.32%	42.39%
Debt / Equity	0.1x	0.3x
Dividend yield	1.01%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

HCI leads on

Dividend yield1.01%vs 0.0%+100%
EPS CAGR 5y2.32%vs 42.39%+82%
EV/EBIT2.5xvs 13.0x+81%
Debt / Equity0.1xvs 0.3x+80%

PLMR leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y37.12%vs 22.31%+40%
Market cap$3.02Bvs $2.01B+33%

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

HCI Group

Palomar Holdings

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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Key terms in this analysis