John Eric Smith Buys 1,135 Shares of Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) Stock

Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE:ORI) Director John Eric Smith purchased 1,135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.10 per share, for a total transaction of $48,918.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,295.60. The trade was a 36.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Old Republic International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORI traded up $0.15 on Wednesday, reaching $42.52. 922,120 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,001,080. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $42.35 and its 200-day moving average is $42.24. Old Republic International Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $34.43 and a fifty-two week high of $46.76.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.15). Old Republic International had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 16.21%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Old Republic International Corporation will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.315 per share. This is an increase from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Old Republic International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.22%.

Institutional Trading of Old Republic International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Old Republic International during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on ORI. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Old Republic International from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $51.00) on shares of Old Republic International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Old Republic International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Old Republic International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

About Old Republic International

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. The General Insurance segment offers aviation, commercial auto, commercial multi-peril, commercial property, general liability, home and auto warranty, inland marine, travel accident, and workers' compensation insurance products; and financial indemnity products for specialty coverages, including errors and omissions, fidelity, directors and officers, and surety.