AlphaQuest LLC Cuts Position in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI)

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its position in shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 13.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,284 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 6,962 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Old Republic International were worth $1,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Old Republic International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,054,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Old Republic International by 162.4% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 610,150 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $21,612,000 after purchasing an additional 377,605 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Old Republic International in the third quarter valued at approximately $7,965,000. Orca Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Old Republic International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,209,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Old Republic International by 39.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 454,792 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,209,000 after purchasing an additional 128,896 shares during the last quarter. 70.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Old Republic International Price Performance

ORI stock opened at $37.28 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.83. Old Republic International Co. has a twelve month low of $28.59 and a twelve month high of $39.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.19. 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 for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This is an increase from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Old Republic International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jeffrey Lange sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 $1,267,864.24. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Carolyn Monroe sold 9,188 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $1,219,760.60. This represents a 21.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,582 shares of company stock valued at $578,552. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Old Republic International 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.