Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of RLI Q1 Earnings

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of RLI in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $0.92 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.93. The consensus estimate for RLI's current full-year earnings is $3.09 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for RLI's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.10 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.15 EPS.

RLI (NYSE:RLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.64). RLI had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 19.53%.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on RLI. StockNews.com cut RLI from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of RLI in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on RLI from $100.50 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on RLI from $88.00 to $80.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Compass Point reduced their target price on RLI from $185.00 to $82.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.80.

RLI Trading Down 0.0 %

RLI stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.13. The company had a trading volume of 446,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 573,909. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.25. The firm has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06 and a beta of 0.46. RLI has a 12-month low of $67.53 and a 12-month high of $91.14.

RLI Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from RLI's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. RLI's payout ratio is currently 15.49%.

Insider Activity at RLI

In other news, insider Jeffrey D. Fick purchased 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $72.13 per share, for a total transaction of $144,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 142,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,246,859.93. This trade represents a 1.43 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Stone sold 400 shares of RLI stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.78, for a total value of $33,910.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 429,622 shares in the company, valued at $36,421,205.05. This represents a 0.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought 11,200 shares of company stock worth $805,774 over the last ninety days. 5.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLI

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in RLI in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in RLI in the third quarter worth $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in RLI by 53.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 203 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of RLI by 76.9% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 230 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of RLI in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. 77.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About RLI

RLI Corp., an insurance holding company, underwrites property and casualty insurance. Its Casualty segment provides commercial and personal coverage products; and general liability products, such as coverage for third-party liability of commercial insureds, including manufacturers, contractors, apartments, and mercantile.