What Moved Hagerty's Score
Hagerty's Performance Score jumped from roughly 3.6 to 6.8 out of 10 between August 4 and August 9, a real weekly gain of 3.2 points for the classic-car insurer. That kind of move doesn't happen by accident, and it lined up with a 3-month return of 27.2%, a run that outpaced both listed peers over the same window.
The score has since cooled. As of today, Performance sits at 5.4, and the stock is down 2.6% on the day at $12.78. RSI reads 58, which puts the setup in neutral territory, not stretched in either direction. The stock still trades 8.5% below its 52-week high of $13.97.
Hagerty's business model explains a lot of this volatility. The company insures classic, collector, and enthusiast vehicles, a niche that keeps it thinly covered by Wall Street and thinly traded compared to the broader insurance sector. That thin coverage is exactly what let a single strong week move the Performance Score by more than three full points. It also means moves can reverse just as fast, which is what appears to be happening now. Hagerty details its own quarterly results and guidance on its investor relations site, for readers who want the primary source behind these numbers.
Risk Score sits at 4.2 out of 10, a moderate reading. On Stoxcraft's scale, higher means more risk, not less, so 4.2 doesn't fully capture the stock's day-to-day swings on its own. Beta is a low 0.79, but standard deviation of 6.70% points to real short-term noise, the kind of profile you'd expect from a smaller-cap name with a specialized book of business.
How Kinsale Capital and RLI Compare
Fundamentals are where the comparison gets less flattering for Hagerty. Its Health Score of 3.6 sits well below both Kinsale Capital (9.3) and RLI Corp (7.6), two property and casualty insurers with longer operating histories and more diversified books.
Kinsale writes excess and surplus lines insurance for small and mid-sized commercial accounts. Its Health Score of 9.3 reflects a Return on Equity of 25.7% and a Piotroski Score of 8, a measure of balance-sheet quality on a 0-9 scale where higher is stronger, both signs of a business converting premium into profit at a high rate. Its Performance Score of 4.3 is lower than Hagerty's current reading, but its Overall Rating of 3.5 stars still edges out Hagerty's 2.5, driven largely by that fundamental strength. Kinsale publishes its own quarterly filings and shareholder letters via its investor relations page.
RLI Corp sits in between. Its Health Score of 7.6 is solid, backed by a 22.7% Return on Equity and a dividend yield of 3.86%, something neither Hagerty nor Kinsale currently offers. Its Performance Score of 2.3 is the lowest of the three, reflecting a quieter stretch for the stock relative to its peers. Risk Score of 3.0 is also the lowest of the group, meaning RLI is the calmest of the three names here, consistent with RLI's low beta of 0.33.
Put together, the picture is clear: Hagerty is the momentum name of the three, Kinsale leads on fundamentals, and RLI offers the steadiest ride with the lowest risk profile and the only dividend.
Why a Niche Insurer Stays Under the Radar
Hagerty covers a market that most insurers don't touch. Classic and collector cars need specialized underwriting, agreed-value policies, and an understanding of a market where a well-kept vintage Porsche can be worth more than the house it's parked next to. That specialization is a real moat, but it also caps how large the addressable market can get compared to a broad-line insurer like RLI or a diversified specialty writer like Kinsale.
The company's other businesses, including its Drivers Club membership, valuation tools, and DriveShare rental platform, add revenue streams beyond pure underwriting. Full-year revenue came in at $1.46 billion, and net income of $49 million shows the business is profitable, just not yet at the scale or margin consistency of its larger peers.
For a Stoxcraft Screener view of how HGTY, KNSL, and RLI stack up against the rest of the insurance sector on Health, Performance, and Risk Score, the Stoxcraft Screener lets you filter the full industry by any of the three.
The setup here isn't a clean signal in either direction. A 2.5-star Overall Rating reflects a name with real short-term momentum but fundamentals still working to catch up. Whether that gap closes, or whether the Performance Score keeps sliding back toward where it started, is the question worth watching from here.
