Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for RLI Earnings

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for RLI in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, June 1st. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $0.74 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.77. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for RLI’s current full-year earnings is $2.75 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for RLI’s FY2027 earnings at $2.64 EPS.

RLI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of RLI from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of RLI from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of RLI from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of RLI from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.50.

RLI Price Performance

Shares of RLI stock opened at $50.76 on Tuesday. RLI has a fifty-two week low of $47.26 and a fifty-two week high of $77.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $54.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.22.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.10. RLI had a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The firm had revenue of $423.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis.

RLI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This is a positive change from RLI’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. RLI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Craig W. Kliethermes bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $52.00 per share, for a total transaction of $260,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 148,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,747,480. This represents a 3.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Clark C. Kellogg bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $50.90 per share, for a total transaction of $152,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 4,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $229,151.80. This trade represents a 199.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 16,500 shares of company stock worth $858,955 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.39% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RLI. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in RLI by 115.1% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 56,386 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,529,000 after buying an additional 30,170 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in RLI by 110.8% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 185,504 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,902,000 after buying an additional 97,501 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in RLI by 472.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 29,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after buying an additional 24,079 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in RLI by 46.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in RLI by 16,550.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 23,976 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 23,832 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.89% of the company’s stock.

RLI Company Profile

RLI Corporation (NYSE:RLI) is a specialty property and casualty insurance company focused on underwriting niche risks for businesses and individuals. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, the company operates through a network of independent agents and brokers, offering customized coverage solutions. RLI’s approach emphasizes disciplined underwriting, targeted product development and strong customer service to maintain profitability and long-term growth.

Founded in 1965 as Replacement Lens, Inc, RLI initially provided insurance for contact lens manufacturers before shifting its focus to specialty insurance in the 1980s.