Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Has $2.55 Million Stake in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in Old Republic International Co. (NYSE:ORI) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,486 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,788 shares during the period. Old Republic International makes up 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 quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ORI. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Old Republic International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Old Republic International during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Old Republic International in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Core Alternative Capital acquired a new stake in shares of Old Republic International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Old Republic International during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. 70.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Old Republic International

In related news, SVP Jeffrey Lange sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.56, for a total value of $40,142.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 34,679 shares in the company, valued at $1,267,864.24. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,039 shares of company stock worth $1,580,733. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Old Republic International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE ORI opened at $38.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $36.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.35. The stock has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 0.83. Old Republic International Co. has a 52-week low of $28.59 and a 52-week high of $39.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.62.

Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Old Republic International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Old Republic International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.