Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $39.31 and last traded at $38.98, with a volume of 1521581 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.05.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Old Republic International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Old Republic International Stock Down 0.2 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.98 and a 200-day moving average of $36.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.19. Old Republic International had a return on equity of 20.32% and a net margin of 10.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. This is a boost from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Old Republic International’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Old Republic International

In other news, SVP Carolyn Monroe sold 9,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.35, for a total value of $333,983.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 33,556 shares in the company, valued at $1,219,760.60. This represents a 21.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jeffrey Lange sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.56, for a total transaction of $40,142.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 34,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,864.24. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,039 shares of company stock valued at $1,580,733 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Old Republic International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 566,304 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,495,000 after acquiring an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Old Republic International in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,229,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Old Republic International in the 4th quarter worth about $218,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Old Republic International by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,425,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,580,000 after purchasing an additional 32,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Old Republic International by 136.5% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 490,263 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,743,000 after purchasing an additional 282,963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.92% of the company’s stock.

Old Republic International Company Profile

Old Republic International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the insurance underwriting and related services business primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through three segments: General Insurance, Title Insurance, and Republic Financial Indemnity Group Run-off Business.