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HGTYHagerty, Inc.Hold4.7·$12.97
HGTY · Why this verdict

Why Hagerty (HGTY) is rated HOLD

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictHOLD
Overall score4.7/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

Hagerty produces free cash flow well in excess of reported earnings and delivered three consecutive beats before a significant miss in its most recent quarter, but revenue contraction of 5% year-over-year, extreme dependence on a single counterparty for over 90% of business, and thin near-term upside leave the setup cautious despite an attractive PEG ratio.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Thesis pillars

After three consecutive earnings beats delivering 14%, 62%, and 140% positive surprises in successive quarters, the company posted a significant miss of 386% below estimates in its most recent quarter — a reversal that raises questions about whether the prior streak reflected a durable trend or a favorable period.

Deteriorating
Earnings
Expectation
The company returns to positive EPS surprises of at least 5% in each of the next two reported quarters, re-establishing the pattern of outperformance.

CounterThe most recent estimate was very small at $0.01, making the percentage miss of 386% less indicative of structural deterioration than the figure implies; a small absolute shortfall does not necessarily reflect a fundamental change in the business.

Approximately 91% of the business flows through a single alliance agreement with one counterparty, and roughly 92% of revenues are concentrated in a single product segment — a level of concentration where any disruption to that relationship would leave virtually no revenue cushion.

Deteriorating
Bear case
Expectation
Concentration figures remain unchanged in the next annual disclosure — or if a new partnership is announced, single-counterparty revenue exposure falls below 75%.

CounterDominant insurance alliances in specialty niches can provide durable competitive advantages and pricing power; high concentration is not inherently negative if the relationship is contractually protected and the addressable market is expanding.

Free cash flow is running at approximately ten times reported net income, indicating the business generates significantly more cash than accounting earnings reflect — a quality attribute that reduces reliance on external financing and provides flexibility for investment or distribution.

Deteriorating
Quality breakdown
Expectation
Free cash flow remains positive and above 300% of net income for at least 3 of the next 4 reported quarters.

CounterFree cash flow this far above net income may reflect temporarily low capital expenditures or favorable timing in claims payments rather than a structural advantage; a normalization of either could rapidly compress the conversion ratio.

Revenue contracted approximately 5% year-over-year, indicating the company is shrinking on the top line even as it attempts to grow earnings, which limits the durability of earnings growth if the revenue trend does not reverse.

Deteriorating
Growth breakdown
Expectation
Revenue growth turns positive above 5% year-over-year for at least 2 consecutive reported quarters.

CounterAn insurance company can grow earnings without growing revenue if loss ratios improve and investment income rises; top-line contraction need not indicate a deteriorating franchise if earned premium per policy and retention rates remain stable.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

6.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
P/E0.0
P/S8.2
EV/EBITDA9.1
Fwd P/E5.8
PEG10.0
Analyst target4.0
  • Forward P/E: 22.2x
  • PEG: 0.23

Quality

5.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
ROE3.0
ROA3.8
Gross margin7.4
Op margin7.4
Net margin0.6
Current ratio5.3
FCF quality10.0
Moat5.4
Piotroski F7.8
  • Excellent cash conversion: 1000% FCF/NI
  • No competitive moat
  • Strong Piotroski F-Score: 7/9

Growth

0.9/10data confidence 33%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth0.9
  • Declining revenue: -6%

Momentum

5.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI5.0
MACD7.5
OBV5.6
MA position9.0
Volume0.7
  • Above 200-day MA

Sentiment

7.1/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
LLM sentiment7.8
Analyst rating6.8
Price target6.6
  • LLM news sentiment: +0.55 (n=1)
  • Light analyst coverage (8.0) — signal dampened

Insider

7.3/10data confidence 75%
ComponentSub-score
materiality5.0
holder change10.0
notable moves7.0
  • Negligible insider selling — $163,227 (0.004% of mkt cap)
  • Institutions accumulating

Peer rank

1.1/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank0.4
quality rank1.0
growth rank0.3

Technical

5.0/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger2.8
support resistance3.7
52w position8.5

Risk (lower is worse)

4.0/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest8.8
days to cover1.4
volatility1.3
put call0.0
implied vol0.0
beta8.2
debt equity8.6
  • Elevated put/call: 4.50
  • High IV: 106%
  • Concentration risks: 2 HIGH (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)

Catalyst

4.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history6.7
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg0.0
news activity5.0
  • Strong earnings: 3B/1M

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Multiple concerning factors. Consider reducing position. | News modifier +2 (SELL_IF_HOLDING → HOLD_IF_HOLDING).

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_F_SELL|L3:NEWS_MOD=+2
Passed (6)
  • MOMENTUM:5.6>=5.5
  • INSIDER:OK
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:79d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (1)
  • ASYMMETRY:-0.3=NEGATIVE
Warning (1)
  • 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
-0.27
Upside
-3.6%
Downside
13.3%
Sizing output
AVOID

SetupBreakout Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 64, MACD bullish

EdgeNo clear edge No clear edge identified

SuitabilitySpeculative Binary industry: Insurance - Property & Casualty

Investment implication

The F-path SELL output reflects an overall score of 4.7 below the 5.6 soft trigger — multiple weakening dimensions accumulated rather than a single hard-floor breach. The strongest dimension ( Insider at 7.3) was not enough to lift the adjusted overall above the threshold. Co-occurring failed gates ( ASYMMETRY:-0.3=NEGATIVE) reinforce the read. Current asymmetry R:R is -0.27 — supplementary context, not the trigger for this path.

The strongest dimensions are Insider at 7.3, Sentiment at 7.1, and Value at 6.3; the weakest are Growth at 0.9, Peer rank at 1.1, and Risk (lower is worse) at 4.0. The V9 engine flagged 1 failed gate with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of -0.27 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Beat Streak Disrupted By Miss

    Trip ifEPS surprise exceeds 20% for 2 consecutive quarters, confirming the beat pattern has decisively re-established itself.

  • P2Extreme Counterparty Concentration

    Trip ifA new partnership or distribution agreement reduces single-counterparty revenue dependence below 70% on a pro-forma basis.

  • P3Strong Free Cash Flow Conversion

    Trip ifFree cash flow falls below 100% of net income for 2 consecutive quarters.

  • P4Revenue Declining Five Percent

    Trip ifRevenue growth exceeds 5% year-over-year for 2 consecutive quarters.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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