Zacks Research Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for RLI

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for RLI in a report released on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings of $0.66 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.74. Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for RLI’s current full-year earnings is $3.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for RLI’s Q3 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.60 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial set a $58.00 price target on shares of RLI in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on RLI from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of RLI in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $59.00 price target on RLI and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded RLI from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.20.

RLI Stock Performance

NYSE RLI opened at $62.40 on Friday. RLI has a 52-week low of $55.80 and a 52-week high of $81.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.32.

RLI (NYSE:RLI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $465.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.53 million. RLI had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 21.43%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in RLI by 1,539.9% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 27,649 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,769,000 after buying an additional 25,963 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in RLI by 65.3% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,938,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $124,005,000 after purchasing an additional 765,344 shares in the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its stake in shares of RLI by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 24,012 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,536,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in RLI by 198.6% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 11,945 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $775,000 after buying an additional 7,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of RLI by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 60,168 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,850,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Jennifer L. Klobnak acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.99 per share, for a total transaction of $115,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 100,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,817,440.82. The trade was a 2.03% increase 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, CEO Craig W. Kliethermes purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $57.45 per share, with a total value of $287,250.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 143,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,272,225.50. This trade represents a 3.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 2.16% of the company’s stock.

More RLI News

Here are the key news stories impacting RLI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Small upward revision for one quarter — Zacks raised its Q3 2027 EPS estimate to $0.61 from $0.59, a minor positive relative to a string of cuts. Zacks Q3 2027 note
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a full set of forward estimates (includes FY2028 EPS of $2.51 and a consensus FY estimate reference of $3.08) — useful baseline for modeling but not a catalyst by itself. Zacks full estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Broad downward revisions — Zacks cut several near?term quarter estimates (examples: Q1 2026 to $0.81 from $0.85; Q2 2026 to $0.74 from $0.78; Q3 2026 to $0.55 from $0.58; Q4 2026 to $0.66 from $0.74) and trimmed FY2026 to $2.76 (from $2.94) and FY2027 to $2.70 (from $2.96). Those cuts signal a weaker earnings outlook and likely weigh on the stock. Zacks downward revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst stance is explicitly bearish — Zacks Research has a “Strong Sell” rating on RLI, which can amplify selling pressure and hurt sentiment even after past quarterly beats. Zacks Strong Sell

About RLI

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.