KNSL vs PLMR: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of September 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: PLMR is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. KNSL and PLMR share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined KNSL and PLMR exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Kinsale Capital Group is a specialty property and casualty insurer focused entirely on the U.S. excess and surplus (E&S) lines market, the segment that handles hard-to-place commercial risks the standard admitted market will not write. It underwrites a broad spread of commercial lines (property, excess casualty, small business, construction, allied health, professional liability, commercial auto, and environmental) plus a small personal-lines book, distributing exclusively through independent brokers across all 50 states. Its structural edge is a proprietary technology platform that lets it run an expense ratio near 20 percent, well below peers, which supports consistently profitable underwriting and returns on equity in the high-20s percent range.

Full KNSL guide

Palomar Holdings (NASDAQ: PLMR) is a specialty insurer that underwrites property and casualty risks across five product lines: Earthquake, Inland Marine and Property, Casualty, Fronting, and Crop, plus a fast-growing Surety and Credit business. It started as a residential and commercial earthquake specialist in catastrophe-exposed states like California and has since diversified into less catastrophe-correlated lines to smooth earnings. The company writes business directly and also acts as a fronting carrier, and it leans heavily on reinsurance to cap its exposure to large seismic and hurricane events.

Full PLMR guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• KNSL drivers: Structural low-cost advantage; E&S market tailwind.
• PLMR drivers: Broad-based premium growth; Strong underwriting margins.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The largest single risk is valuation: a premium multiple leaves little room for disappointment, so any slowdown in growth or margin can compress the stock. For PLMR, the largest risk is catastrophe exposure: a major California earthquake or an active hurricane season could generate outsized losses despite reinsurance.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick KNSL if you believe its drivers more; PLMR if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the KNSL and PLMR guides.

KNSL. Kinsale trades at a premium to most specialty insurers, recently around the high-teens on trailing earnings and several times book value, which reflects its sector-leading return on equity and low combined ratio rather than a bargain price. Q1 2026 net income rose to about $112.6 million ($4.88 per diluted share) as the combined ratio improved year over year. Figures are approximate and drawn from company releases; they move with each quarterly report.

PLMR. Palomar has delivered roughly 14 consecutive quarterly earnings beats, with Q1 2026 adjusted EPS near $2.31 and adjusted net income around $63 million. The stock has traded roughly in the $108 to $132 range in 2026 and carries a premium multiple relative to many insurance peers, reflecting its above-average premium growth and high return on equity. Reported trailing P/E has been cited near the low double digits, while forward multiples on adjusted earnings sit modestly higher.

Headline figures (approximate, July 2026): KNSL shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.85B, gross written premiums (fy2025) ~$2.0B, net income (fy2025) ~$503.6M, combined ratio (q1 2026) ~77.4%; PLMR shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.0B, q1 2026 revenue ~$279M (up ~60% YoY), q1 2026 gross written premium ~$630M (up ~42% YoY), 2026 adjusted net income guidance ~$266M to $280M.

KNSL and PLMR are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined KNSL and PLMR exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.