B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Increases Stock Position in RLI Corp. $RLI

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its stake in RLI by 134.2% in Q4, buying 20,543 shares to hold 35,846 shares valued at about $2.29 million.
• RLI reported mixed Q1 results — an EPS beat ($0.83 vs. $0.73) but revenue well below expectations (~$423.9M vs. $564.5M); shares fell roughly 3.9% as management cited catastrophe losses and competitive rate pressure despite a strong combined ratio (~86).
• Institutional investors own about 77.9% of RLI, analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $61.50, and the stock trades near its 12‑month low with a ~1.2% dividend yield.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI - Free Report) by 134.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,846 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 20,543 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in RLI were worth $2,293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chatham Capital Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of RLI by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 26,460 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,693,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of RLI by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,760 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of RLI by 94.4% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of RLI by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 75,502 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,924,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of RLI by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,281 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.89% of the company's stock.

More RLI News

Here are the key news stories impacting RLI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underwriting strength — RLI reported a first-quarter combined ratio of ~86, reflecting disciplined pricing and profitable underwriting that supports core earnings resilience. RLI outlines underwriting discipline as Q1 combined ratio was 86
• Positive Sentiment: Investment income and casualty growth helped offset underwriting pressure, providing some offset to underwriting volatility and supporting near-term profitability. RLI Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Investment Income Increases Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: A++ financial-strength upgrade — an upgrade was announced, which is positive for franchise strength, but analysts flag it raises questions about future earnings growth and current valuation compression. Investors are debating whether the rating justifies the stock's multiple. RLI’s A++ Upgrade Raises Questions On Earnings Outlook And Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue and growth picture is mixed — RLI posted ~3% top-line growth in Q1, signaling modest premium growth but not a clear acceleration. Analysts’ price targets remain dispersed. RLI Corp reports 3% top-line growth for Q1’26
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed earnings beat/miss and revenues below expectations — headline EPS was roughly in line or slightly below some consensus figures and reported revenue came in under analyst estimates, prompting near-term disappointment. RLI Corp. Q1 Earnings Lag Estimates RLI Reports Sales Below Analyst Estimates In Q1 CY2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Catastrophe and competitive pressures — management cited catastrophe-related losses and a competitive rate environment that compressed underwriting margins in parts of the portfolio, adding near-term uncertainty to earnings cadence. RLI Q1 deep dive: Competitive market pressures and rate discipline shape results

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of RLI from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial set a $58.00 price objective on shares of RLI in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of RLI from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of RLI from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of RLI in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, RLI presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $61.50.

RLI Trading Down 3.9%

Shares of RLI stock opened at $52.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. RLI Corp. has a 12-month low of $52.73 and a 12-month high of $77.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $59.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.95.

RLI (NYSE:RLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $423.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. RLI's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that RLI Corp. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

RLI Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. RLI's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.95%.

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.

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