Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $3.57 Million in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 98,726 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,573,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Old Republic International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Core Alternative Capital purchased a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Old Republic International in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. 70.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Old Republic International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORI opened at $37.50 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.26. Old Republic International Co. has a 52 week low of $28.59 and a 52 week high of $39.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.83.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last released its earnings results 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%. On average, analysts expect that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Old Republic International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.11%.

About Old Republic International

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.