Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) Shares Sold by Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. reduced its position in shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,486 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,788 shares during the quarter. Old Republic International comprises about 2.4% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Old Republic International were worth $2,551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,054,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 377,605 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Old Republic International in the third quarter valued at $7,965,000. Orca Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth about $5,209,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International in the 4th quarter worth about $5,409,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.92% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Old Republic International news, VP Thomas Dare sold 27,457 shares of Old Republic International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.50, for a total value of $1,002,180.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 46,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,294. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Craig R. Smiddy sold 5,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.60, for a total transaction of $204,425.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,335,369.20. The trade was a 3.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,039 shares of company stock valued at $1,580,733. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Old Republic International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORI opened at $38.49 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.35. Old Republic International Co. has a 1-year low of $28.59 and a 1-year high of $39.27.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.19. Old Republic International had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 20.32%. As a group, analysts forecast that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.11%.

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.