Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for RLI Earnings

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of RLI in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $0.81 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.85. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for RLI’s current full-year earnings is $3.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for RLI’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.55 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.76 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.69 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.70 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.51 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on RLI. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of RLI from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $52.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of RLI from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial set a $58.00 target price on RLI in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $59.00 target price on RLI and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of RLI in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.20.

RLI Price Performance

NYSE:RLI opened at $63.04 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.48. RLI has a one year low of $55.80 and a one year high of $81.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

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. RLI had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 21.43%.The business had revenue of $465.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLI

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position 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 buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in RLI during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in RLI during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in RLI by 3,645.5% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 412 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at RLI

In related news, CEO Craig W. Kliethermes purchased 5,000 shares of RLI 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 directly owned 143,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,272,225.50. This represents a 3.60% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Jennifer L. Klobnak acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $57.99 per share, with a total value of $115,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

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.