Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

Old Republic International Trading Up 1.3 %

ORI opened at $37.28 on Tuesday. Old Republic International has a one year low of $28.59 and a one year high of $39.27. The company has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.97.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that Old Republic International will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Old Republic International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. Old Republic International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Old Republic International news, SVP Jeffrey Lange sold 1,098 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,864.24. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Carolyn Monroe sold 9,188 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.35, for a total value of $333,983.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 33,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,219,760.60. The trade was a 21.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Old Republic International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORI. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth $218,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Old Republic International by 2.4% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Old Republic International by 136.5% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth $267,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Old Republic International by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 8,017 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. 70.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.