Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY)

Sector: Financial Services Industry: Insurance - Property & Casualty CIK: 0001840776
Market Cap 991.24 Mn
P/E 26.25
P/S 0.60
Div. Yield 0.01
ROIC (Qtr) 0.07
Total Debt (Qtr) 177.91 Mn
Revenue Growth (1y) (Qtr) 176.77
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About

Hagerty, Inc., with ticker symbol HGTY, operates as a Managing General Agent (MGA) in the classic car and enthusiast vehicle insurance industry. The company's unique business model, strong brand, and value proposition position it well to capture a larger share of the growing collector car market. Hagerty's operations span across various channels, including direct sales, independent agents and brokers, and partnerships with large traditional auto insurers. The company's main business activities revolve around providing specialized insurance coverage...

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Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Hagerty has demonstrated a compelling acceleration in new business, evidenced by a 13% rise in written premium and a 14% increase in commission revenue during the first nine months of 2025. The firm attributes this growth to the rapid expansion of its partnership portfolio, notably the State Farm integration and the newly announced Liberty Mutual and Safeco collaboration. These alliances provide a funnel for high‑volume, high‑quality classic‑car policyholders, positioning Hagerty to capture a broader share of the niche market. By leveraging its strong brand equity and superior customer experience, Hagerty is poised to convert this influx into sustained underwriting growth. The company’s guidance of 14% to 15% revenue growth for the full year reflects confidence that the partnership pipeline will materialize at or above expectations.
  • The classic‑car market is undergoing a structural shift toward younger, tech‑savvy collectors who favor online transactions, as highlighted by a 12% surge in online sales this year. Hagerty’s platform, which hosts both live auctions and private sales, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend, having already seen a 54% jump in marketplace and other revenue. The launch of the Enthusiast Plus product targets the post‑1980 cohort, a segment currently under‑penetrated at just 3% coverage, offering a clear path to higher premiums and broader market reach. This diversification not only taps a growing customer base but also aligns with the evolving consumer behavior toward digital purchasing channels. The company’s focus on high‑performance supercars and newer models, combined with its data‑driven underwriting capabilities, further strengthens its competitive moat.
  • Hagerty Reinsurance’s recent AM Best rating upgrade to “A‑” underscores the resilience of the company’s underlying insurance operations. The rating committee cited strong capital position, consistently low combined ratios relative to peers, and robust underwriting profitability driven by specialized valuation and claims expertise. These factors suggest that the reinsurance arm can absorb larger volumes of policy dollars while maintaining a favorable loss ratio, thereby enhancing the overall underwriting portfolio’s stability. Additionally, the reinsurance entity’s diversified investment strategy, moving from a cash‑heavy stance to a more balanced bond allocation, provides a modest but solid income stream that supports the group’s profitability. With this solid footing, Hagerty can further expand its direct insurance offerings without compromising financial health.
  • Hagerty’s strategic emphasis on technology replatforming and the shift to 100% fronting through the Markel arrangement is poised to unlock significant cost efficiencies and margin expansion. By assuming full underwriting risk and premium capture, the company removes the need to share a portion of the income with reinsurers, directly improving profitability. The fronting change also streamlines operational processes, allowing for more consistent pricing and underwriting decision‑making that align with Hagerty’s internal expertise. The transition is projected to result in a lower operating expense base relative to the premium written, as evidenced by the 350 basis point margin improvement in the first nine months of 2025. This operational leverage is a key driver behind the firm’s upward guidance for both revenue and earnings.
  • The expansion of Hagerty Marketplace into Europe, coupled with the launch of Broad Arrow Live Auctions, provides a new revenue corridor that is less dependent on domestic insurance cycles. The firm’s existing valuation and sales platform can be leveraged across borders, creating synergies between auction pricing, transaction fees, and ancillary services such as storage and maintenance. With the European auction volume projected to reach $240 million by November, the marketplace can serve as a diversified growth engine, especially as the European collector market matures and online transactions increase. This international footprint also reduces reliance on the U.S. regulatory environment and mitigates geographic concentration risk. As the company integrates these operations, it can generate incremental profitability from a higher percentage of transaction volumes.

Bear case

  • Management’s responses during the Q&A reveal a lack of transparency around the economics of the Liberty Mutual and Safeco partnership, with no concrete figures provided for the expected PIF or premium tailwind. The reliance on a “book roll” model introduces uncertainty regarding the timing and scale of the partnership’s impact on revenue. Furthermore, the firm has not clarified whether any pricing adjustments or risk sharing mechanisms will be in place, leaving open the possibility that the partnership may not deliver the projected volume gains. This ambiguity presents a hidden risk that could limit the anticipated upside from these alliances and strain the company’s growth narrative.
  • The newly introduced Enthusiast Plus product targets a higher‑risk cohort of modern enthusiast vehicles, a segment for which the company has limited historical loss experience. During the call, executives admitted the program is still in early stages and that loss ratio outcomes are “too early to speak.” This lack of data heightens the risk of adverse loss experience that could materially impact the combined ratio, especially if younger, high‑performance cars exhibit higher claim frequencies or severity. Should the product’s loss profile deteriorate, Hagerty’s already modest profit margin would be under pressure, undermining the firm’s broader margin expansion strategy.
  • Seasonal volatility and catastrophic exposure remain significant risks, particularly in hurricane‑prone markets such as Tampa and Miami, where the company’s Safe Storage Concierge program is active. While the firm touts a low loss ratio relative to peer averages, the quarter’s 42% loss ratio indicates that claims costs can still be substantial in peak seasons. The company has acknowledged that Q4 is typically a lighter period for claim activity, but this seasonality also means that any unexpected weather event could disproportionately inflate losses during an otherwise quiet quarter. Such volatility could erode earnings and impair capital adequacy in the short term.
  • Operating expenses, especially G&A and salary and benefit costs, have accelerated, with a 17% rise in G&A and a 44% increase in salaries and benefits. Although management projects that these expenses will settle in the mid‑to‑high single‑digit range, the current trajectory suggests a higher than anticipated cost burden. If the company cannot control these outlays, it could offset the margin gains achieved through operational efficiencies. This risk is amplified by the capital requirements associated with the Markel fronting arrangement, which may necessitate additional reserves and potentially increase the company’s cost of capital.
  • Hagerty’s marketplace business, while experiencing rapid revenue growth, remains a low‑scale, high‑transaction cost operation that has yet to produce significant bottom‑line contribution. Management indicates that the business is still in the “single‑digit millions” profitability range, suggesting that further scaling may be required before it can materially support earnings. The episodic nature of private sales and the heavy reliance on brokerage commissions expose the firm to revenue volatility and may limit the ability to forecast consistent profitability from this segment. As the marketplace matures, the company will need to manage margins carefully to avoid diluting overall earnings.

Consolidated Entities Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Product and Service Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Insurance - Property & Casualty
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 CB Chubb Ltd 129.43 Bn 12.55 2.59 1.92 Bn
2 PGR Progressive Corp/Oh/ 118.04 Bn 10.43 1.30 -
3 TRV Travelers Companies, Inc. 65.43 Bn 10.47 1.41 -
4 ALL Allstate Corp 54.64 Bn 5.36 0.81 -
5 HIG Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. 37.97 Bn 9.94 1.65 -
6 WRB Berkley W R Corp 26.29 Bn 14.78 2.11 1.01 Bn
7 CINF Cincinnati Financial Corp 24.41 Bn 10.20 2.17 0.86 Bn
8 MKL Markel Group Inc. 23.70 Bn 11.04 1.84 -