Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Reduces Holdings in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 172,653 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,787 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Old Republic International were worth $6,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ORI. Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth about $757,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Old Republic International by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,989 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Old Republic International by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,852 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,985,000 after purchasing an additional 5,243 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Old Republic International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 23,030 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $833,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.92% of the company’s stock.

Old Republic International Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ORI opened at $37.61 on Friday. Old Republic International Co. has a 12-month low of $28.59 and a 12-month high of $39.27. The company has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.30. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (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, analysts forecast that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Old Republic International’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Old Republic International

In other news, SVP Jeffrey Lange sold 1,098 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,267,864.24. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Carolyn Monroe sold 9,188 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 33,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold a total of 43,039 shares of company stock valued at $1,580,733 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.