BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW)
Financials · Specialty Insurance · NYSE
Bowhead Specialty is a specialty insurance underwriter that manages risk through a diversified portfolio of insurance products and reinsurance strategies.
What BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC does
Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc. is an insurance company that operates as a specialty underwriter. The company provides a range of insurance products, leveraging reinsurance arrangements to manage its underwriting risk and capital.
Themes: specialty insurance, property and casualty insurance, underwriting services
Fundamentals
- Price$34.10 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$1.1B as of 2026-07-29 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+27.0% 2025-10-08 close $26.86 → 2026-10-08 close $34.10
- P/E18.38 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+9.8% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+12.0% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.31 as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue growth (YoY)+25.0% as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+43.3% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.38 as of 2026-09-03
- Last reported earnings2026-08-03 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How BOW compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiotop 25% 513 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit marginmiddle range 344 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- return on equitymiddle range 559 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- 3-year revenue CAGRtop 10% 347 covered Financials peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 430 covered Financials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
How BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC looks technically
BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) is trading 21.7% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 77 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 47, with buyers in control. Momentum is stretched — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 70, in overbought territory (above 70). It just made a new 20-day high, pushing above its recent trading range. It is 2.8% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year).
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 21.7% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +21.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $33.55 | $33.55 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $28.02 | $28.02 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 66 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 66 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part upward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes above 35.07. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a five-part sequence in leg 4. | possible three-wave upward correction, complete (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 77 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 77 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 47, with buyers in control | 46.7 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is stretched — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 70, in overbought territory (above 70) | 70.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the upper half of its 14-day range ($33.66 to $34.25) — its "stochastic" reading is 75 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 74.6 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 38 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $35.07 | $35.07 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 2.8% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -2.8% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 60.5% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +60.5% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 2.8% below its highest point of the past year | 2.8% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day high, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it just made a new 55-day high, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $42.29 (set on 2025-03-28) | $42.29 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($21.44 to $34.10), and it has given back essentially none of its rise from last year’s low — 0% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $25.87 to $26.28. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 0.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 19.4% below its all-time high | -19.4% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.6% above a support level at $33.89 — a price it turned at 8 times since 2024-12-20, most recently on 2026-09-29. Since 2024-10-08 it has 12 such levels below the current price and 3 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.6% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $21.25 (set on 2026-03-20) | $21.25 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 60.5% above its all-time low | +60.5% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 81% of it) | 19th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.195 between its high and its low — about 0.6% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.195 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $33.60 and $34.00 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $33.60 – $33.80 – $34.00 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 0.6% in a typical session — among the calmest in the catalog. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 0.6% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 31.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (21.7% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale. Read that multiple with care: this company's daily range is unusually small (about 0.6% of its price), which is what makes the multiple large — a stock trading in a narrow band near a takeover price does this | 31.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.04× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 7 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 7 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 1 session ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 1 session ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 at essentially the same price it closed at the session before — no meaningful overnight gap | -0.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 10.6% above the previous close 47 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 30.59 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +10.6% |
| Gap filled | a 2.7% gap up opened on 2026-08-04 has been "filled" 46 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 46 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 2 sessions in a row, a +0.95% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 0.3 percentage points (the stock gained 1.4% while the market gained 1.0%) | +0.3% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 3.7 percentage points (the stock gained 7.5% while the market gained 3.8%) | +3.7% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 33.4 percentage points (the stock gained 50.9% while the market gained 17.5%) | +33.4% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 12.0 percentage points (the stock gained 27.0% while the market gained 15.0%) | +12.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day high, a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: its RSI momentum gauge is overbought (a stretched reading), MACD momentum is negative — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 2.9% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 6.0% of the share price. | +2.9% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 17% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $29.14 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 190 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +17.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 1% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-03 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $33.66 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 48 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +1.3% |
Price levels it has turned at before
BOW last closed at $34.10 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 12 prices below its last close and 3 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $33.89 | Support | 0.6% below the last close | turned there 8 times · 2024-12-20 to 2026-09-29 |
| $35.30 | Resistance | 3.5% above the last close | turned there five times · 2024-12-10 to 2026-08-03 |
| $32.81 | Support | 3.8% below the last close | turned there five times · 2025-03-10 to 2026-07-08 |
| $32.08 | Support | 5.9% below the last close | turned there twice · 2024-10-17 to 2025-09-04 |
| $37.80 | Resistance | 10.8% above the last close | turned there four times · 2024-12-05 to 2025-06-30 |
| $41.88 | Resistance | 22.8% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-03-28 to 2025-05-05 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part upward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $35.07.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a five-part sequence in leg 4, which fails on a close below $32.83.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Overbought (14-day RSI above 70) · Near the 52-week high · Broke out to a new 20-day high · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · beating the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Mean price target$34.33 range $34.00 – $36.00; median $34.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-06. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for BOW
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.5126 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-06
- Estimate change, 30 days-$0.0071 (-1.4%) from $0.5197, on 2026-09-02, 34-day window
- Readings revised upward13% of 8 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Exposure to potential losses and loss adjustment expenses that exceed reserves.","Dependence on reinsurance recoverables and the financial strength of its reinsurers.","Risks associated with managing investment portfolios, including interest rate and market volatility."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of BOW's 10-Q filed 2026-08-03 against the prior one filed 2026-05-05.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing filed 2026-08-03 adds a bullet under forward-looking risk factors: 'risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed acquisition of Bowhead by AmFam, including: that Bowhead and AmFam may be unable to complete the transaction because, among other reasons, conditions to the closing of the transaction may not be satisfied or waived; uncertainty as to the timing of completion of the transaction; the inability to complete the transaction due to the failure to obtain the Bowhead stockholder approvals for the transaction or the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the transaction, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of the transaction; interloper risk; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; risks related to disruption of management’s attention from Bowhead’s ongoing business operations due to the transaction; the effect of the announcement of the transaction on Bowhead’s relationships with its insureds, operating results and business generally; and the outcome of any legal proceedings to the extent initiated against Bowhead, AmFam or others following the announcement of the transaction, as well as Bowhead’s and AmFam management’s response to any of the aforementioned factors;'
- Removed:
- Older filing filed 2026-05-05 contains a final sentence in the Overview section: 'We believe that our current market opportunity, differentiated expertise, relationships, culture and leadership team position us well to continue to grow our business profitably.' that is not present in the newer filing.
- Older filing filed 2026-05-05 contains a 'Components of Our Results of Operations' subsection with definitions for 'Gross written premiums', 'Ceded written premiums', 'Net written premiums', and the beginning of 'Net earned premiums' that is not present in the newer filing.
- Reworded:
- In the forward-looking statements overview, the newer filing filed 2026-08-03 changes the closing sentence from '...you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.' to '...you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.' plus the existing page number differs (28 vs 26).
- The newer filing filed 2026-08-03 truncates the final Overview sentence 'We are supported by a collaborative culture that spans all functions of our business, which allows us to provide a cons' (appears incomplete) whereas the older filing filed 2026-05-05 continues with 'consistent, positive experience for all our partners.'
- Notes:
- The newer filing excerpt ends mid-sentence ('which allows us to provide a cons'), so the full Overview section in the newer filing may contain additional text not available for comparison.
- The older filing excerpt ends mid-sentence in the 'Net earned premiums' definition ('Net earned premiums represe'), so the full Components of Our Results of Operations section may contain additional text not available for comparison.
Risk Factors
- Added:
- Added a new subsection titled 'Risks Relating to the Proposed Merger' describing risks associated with the merger with AmFam, Inc. announced on August 3, 2026.
- Added disclosures of Merger Agreement conditions, including stockholder approval, regulatory approvals (Hart-Scott-Rodino and insurance regulators in Wisconsin and Texas), absence of Company Material Adverse Effect or Burdensome Condition, and accuracy of representations and warranties.
- Added risk disclosure regarding business uncertainties and contractual restrictions during the pendency of the Merger, including ordinary course covenants and limitations on pursuing strategic transactions.
- Added risk disclosure that litigation filed in connection with the Merger could prevent or delay consummation or result in damages.
- Added risk disclosure regarding potential termination fee payable to American Family under specified circumstances.
- Added bullet-point list of risks if the Merger is not completed, including stock price decline, incurred expenses, negative reactions from insureds/brokers/regulators/employees, negative publicity, and management time commitments.
- Removed:
- Removed statement that there were no material changes in risk factors in the quarter ended March 31, 2026 from those disclosed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
- Notes:
- The newer filing text appears truncated mid-sentence at the end of the provided excerpt.
- The termination fee amount is redacted as '$[●]' in the newer filing.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales are on record for BOW — recent Form 4 activity was compensation-related (awards, option exercises, or tax withholding), not open-market buying or selling.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsOnly open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding BOW as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 2,197,828
- Reported value $65,780,995
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 3 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about BOW's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
BOW had 601,629 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
BOW had 1.83% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 1.68 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 601,629
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 1.83%
- Prior settlement (shares) 548,003
- Reported change 9.79%
- Days to cover (reported) 1.68
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Kinsale Capital Group (KNSL)
- James River Group (JRVR)
- Argo Group International Holdings
- Markel Group (MKL)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) do?
Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc. is an insurance company that operates as a specialty underwriter. The company provides a range of insurance products, leveraging reinsurance arrangements to manage its underwriting risk and capital.
What sector is BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) in?
BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is Specialty Insurance. It trades on NYSE.
Who are BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC's (BOW) competitors?
Notable peers of BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) include Kinsale Capital Group, James River Group, Argo Group International Holdings and Markel Group. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) overbought or oversold right now?
BOWHEAD SPECIALTY HOLDINGS INC (BOW) is currently in overbought territory (its 14-day RSI is 70, above 70) (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on BOW come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-03; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.