Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 414,253 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,344 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Old Republic International worth $14,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Old Republic International by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 14,052 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 1,434 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,025,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Old Republic International by 36.1% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 63,083 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,232,000 after purchasing an additional 16,744 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Old Republic International during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Old Republic International by 138.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 40,403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,431,000 after buying an additional 23,471 shares during the period. 70.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Old Republic International Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:ORI opened at $39.08 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.62. Old Republic International Co. has a one year low of $28.59 and a one year high of $39.38.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last issued its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. This is a positive change from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Old Republic International’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas Dare sold 27,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.50, for a total transaction of $1,002,180.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 46,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,699,294. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Carolyn Monroe sold 9,188 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.35, for a total value of $333,983.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 33,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,219,760.60. This trade represents a 21.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,039 shares of company stock valued at $1,580,733. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.