RLI Trading at a Premium to Industry: How to Play the Stock

RLI Corp. RLI shares are trading at a premium to the Zacks Property and Casualty Insurance industry. Its price-to-book value of 3.42X is higher than the industry average of 1.54X, the Finance sector’s 4.37X and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite’s 8.74X.

Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. TRV, W.R. Berkley Corporation WRB and Cincinnati Financial Corporation CINF are also trading at a multiple higher than the industry average.

RLI shares have lost 13.2% in the past year against the industry’s return of 6.1%. 

With a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, the average volume of shares traded in the last three months was 0.6 million.

RLI’s Growth Projection Encourages

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RLI’s 2025 earnings per share indicates a year-over-year increase of 7.3%. The consensus estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.77 billion, implying a year-over-year improvement of 6.3%.
 
The consensus estimate for 2026 revenues indicates an increase of 3.4% from the corresponding 2025 estimates.

RLI’s Favorable Return on Capital

RLI’s return on equity (ROE) has also been improving over the last few quarters, reflecting its efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds. The trailing 12 months ROE was 15.8%, which compared favorably with the industry average of 7.7%.

Factors Acting in Favor of RLI

RLI continues to grow through product diversification. Its compelling product portfolio, focus on introducing new products, re-underwriting of several of its products, sturdy business expansion, sustained rate increase and expanded distribution position this insurer well to generate an improved top line. 

A conservative underwriting and reserving policy helps RLI achieve favorable reserve releases from the prior years despite incurring catastrophe losses.

RLI is one of the industry’s most profitable P&C writers, with an impressive track record of delivering 29 consecutive years of underwriting profitability.

This insurer has been enhancing shareholders' value by distributing wealth in the form of dividend hikes, special dividends and share buybacks. It boasts an impressive dividend track record. It has increased regular dividends in each of the last 50 years and paid special dividends since 2011, making the stock an attractive pick for yield-seeking investors. 

The insurer has been strengthening its balance sheet by improving liquidity and leverage. A sound capital structure helps it meet the interests of its policyholders, enhance operations in the insurance sector and drive its book value for the long term.

End Notes

RLI is one of the industry’s most profitable P&C writers, with an impressive track record of delivering 29 consecutive years of underwriting profitability. A strong local branch office network, a broad range of product offerings, and a focus on specialty insurance lines should continue to contribute to its superior profitability. The stock's impressive dividend history makes it an attractive pick for yield-seeking investors.
 
Given its premium valuation, it is prudent to wait for a better entry point for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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