Zacks Research Weighs in on RLI’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:RLI)

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for RLI in a report released on Wednesday, March 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will earn $0.57 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.55. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for RLI’s current full-year earnings is $3.08 per share.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $465.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.53 million. RLI had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 21.43%.During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of RLI in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $59.00 price objective on shares of RLI and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Truist Financial set a $58.00 target price on shares of RLI in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of RLI from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $52.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of RLI from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, RLI currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.20.

RLI Price Performance

NYSE:RLI opened at $58.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $60.34 and a 200 day moving average of $62.30. RLI has a 1-year low of $55.80 and a 1-year high of $81.79.

RLI Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. RLI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.68%.

Insider Activity at RLI

In other news, CEO Craig W. Kliethermes purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $57.45 per share, with a total value of $287,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 143,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,272,225.50. This represents a 3.60% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jennifer L. Klobnak purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $57.99 per share, for a total transaction of $115,980.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 100,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,440.82. The trade was a 2.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of RLI

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RLI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in RLI by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,448,929 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $604,542,000 after purchasing an additional 310,857 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of RLI by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,875,002 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $567,823,000 after acquiring an additional 124,687 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in RLI by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,191,891 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $140,260,000 after purchasing an additional 67,025 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in RLI by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,938,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $124,005,000 after purchasing an additional 765,344 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in RLI by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,899,524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $121,536,000 after purchasing an additional 112,541 shares in the last quarter. 77.89% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.