Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in RLI Corp. $RLI

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) by 3.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 281,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,554 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in RLI were worth $16,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in RLI by 156.4% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in RLI by 72.1% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 618 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in RLI in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in RLI by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 684 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Craig W. Kliethermes purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.00 per share, with a total value of $260,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 148,990 shares in the company, valued at $7,747,480. This trade represents a 3.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David B. Duclos acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $51.99 per share, for a total transaction of $129,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,780 shares in the company, valued at $508,462.20. The trade was a 34.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 16,500 shares of company stock valued at $858,955. Company insiders own 2.39% of the company’s stock.

RLI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RLI opened at $59.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.38. RLI Corp. has a one year low of $47.26 and a one year high of $70.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 0.38.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $575.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $568.70 million. RLI had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 20.81%.The business’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that RLI Corp. will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLI Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This is a positive change from RLI’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. RLI’s payout ratio is 16.82%.

Key Headlines Impacting RLI

Here are the key news stories impacting RLI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RLI beat consensus EPS estimates, reporting $0.83 per share versus expectations around $0.71-$0.73, which suggests stronger-than-expected profitability. RLI Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue also topped estimates in the latest quarter, with results showing solid top-line performance and year-over-year revenue growth of 15.2%. RLI Corp. (RLI) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported strong profitability metrics, including a 17.72% return on equity and a 20.81% net margin, which may reinforce confidence in its operating discipline. RLI Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: While earnings beat estimates, one data point showed revenue at $463.1 million versus a different estimate set in another feed, highlighting some inconsistency in reported expectations rather than a clear fundamental issue. RLI ($RLI) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on RLI. Wall Street Zen cut RLI from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut RLI from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded RLI from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on RLI from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on RLI from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.50.

RLI 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.