Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 548,457 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 13,781 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Old Republic International were worth $19,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Old Republic International in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Core Alternative Capital bought a new stake in Old Republic International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Old Republic International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 70.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Old Republic International Stock Performance

NYSE ORI opened at $38.98 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.44. Old Republic International Co. has a 12-month low of $28.59 and a 12-month high of $39.31. The firm has a market cap of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last issued 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, equities analysts forecast that Old Republic International Co. will post 3.17 EPS for the current year.

Old Republic International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is an increase from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Old Republic International’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Old Republic International

In other Old Republic International news, VP Thomas Dare sold 27,457 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 46,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,699,294. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Craig R. Smiddy sold 5,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,335,369.20. The trade was a 3.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,039 shares of company stock worth $1,580,733 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.