RLI (NYSE:RLI) COO Jennifer Klobnak Buys 2,000 Shares

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) COO Jennifer Klobnak bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $57.99 per share, for a total transaction of $115,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 100,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,440.82. This represents a 2.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

RLI Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RLI traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $56.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,144,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 843,659. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.53. The stock has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. RLI Corp. has a twelve month low of $55.80 and a twelve month high of $81.79.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.18. RLI had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The firm had revenue of $465.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that RLI Corp. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

RLI Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. RLI’s payout ratio is presently 16.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLI

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of RLI in the 2nd quarter valued at about $84,608,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in RLI in the second quarter valued at approximately $74,533,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in RLI by 353.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 446,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,113,000 after acquiring an additional 347,858 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in RLI by 102.7% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 558,613 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,433,000 after acquiring an additional 283,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in RLI by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,750,315 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $570,696,000 after acquiring an additional 279,983 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.89% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting RLI

Here are the key news stories impacting RLI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RLI reported Q4 results that beat estimates (EPS $0.94 vs. ~$0.76 consensus) and topped revenue expectations; management cited solid investment income and expense control, supporting near-term earnings. Earnings Press Release / Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Underwriting results were strong: underwriting income rose to about $71M for Q4 and the combined ratio was in the low-80s (~82.6–83%), indicating profitable core insurance operations that can support underwriting margins. Underwriting Income Article
• Positive Sentiment: RLI trimmed its catastrophe reinsurance purchases by $150M at the January renewal — management is taking advantage of cheaper reinsurance pricing to lower reinsurance expense and retain more premium, which could boost margins if managed carefully. Reinsurance Renewal Article
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights disciplined underwriting and substantial book-value growth (~33%), signaling capital strength and a focus on profitable growth rather than top-line share grabbing in a competitive market. Business Strategy / Book Value Article
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies moved RLI from Underperform to Hold on valuation grounds — a modestly supportive analyst action that reduces near-term downside from that firm’s prior view. Jefferies Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Citizens JMP reaffirmed a market‑perform / MP rating — neutral wording from another shop keeps analyst consensus cautious. Analyst Reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings-call transcript is available for detail on reserves, reinsurance strategy and segment performance for investors who want to dig into management commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts (William Blair noted via TipRanks) keep a Hold stance, pointing to slowing premium growth and rising loss costs — key headwinds that could dent future underwriting leverage and justify a cautious view. Analyst Note on Growth & Loss Trends

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on RLI shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $59.00 price target on shares of RLI and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of RLI from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of RLI in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial set a $58.00 price objective on RLI in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded RLI from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, RLI currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.67.

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.