Craig Kliethermes Purchases 5,000 Shares of RLI (NYSE:RLI) Stock

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) CEO Craig Kliethermes acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $57.45 per share, with a total value of $287,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 143,990 shares in the company, valued at $8,272,225.50. The trade was a 3.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

RLI Stock Performance

RLI stock opened at $56.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 0.54. RLI Corp. has a 12-month low of $55.80 and a 12-month high of $81.79. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $62.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.39.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $465.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.53 million. RLI had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 18.67%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that RLI Corp. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLI Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. RLI’s payout ratio is presently 14.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLI

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in RLI in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of RLI by 94.4% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of RLI by 7,300.0% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of RLI in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of RLI during the second quarter worth $29,000. 77.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RLI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of RLI in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial set a $58.00 price target on RLI in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on RLI from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $59.00 price objective on shares of RLI and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of RLI in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.20.

Key Headlines 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

About RLI

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.