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Is This the Right Time To Offload RLI Corp (RLI) Stock?
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Shares of RLI Corp. (RLI - Free Report) have significantly underperformed the Zacks categorized Property and Casualty Insurance industry, quarter to date. While RLI Corp shares lost 7.9%, the industry gained nearly 12%. This Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) stock saw the estimates for 2016 and 2017 moving south by nearly 8.7% and 4.3%, over the last 60 days.
Exposure to catastrophe losses has been weighing on the insurer’s underwriting results. Also, RLI Corp. has been experiencing increasing expenses due to higher losses and settlement expenses and policy acquisition costs. The company should strive to ensure that its revenue growth rate outpaces rise in expenses or else, these costs will weigh on operating margin expansion. Though premiums increased, the company's growth was unimpressive amid competitive market conditions.
While RLI Corp.’s leverage ratio compares unfavorably with the industry, its dividend yield too lags the industry average.
The stock also remains expensive at the current level. While the price to earnings ratio (P/E) ratio of 31.5 is 8.6% premium to industry average of 29%, price to book value (P/B) of 3.0 compares unfavorably with the industry average of 1.5.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth quarter and full-year 2016 is currently pegged at 47 cents and $2.00, respectively. These translate to a year-over-year decline of 16.1% for the quarter and 21.2% for 2016. In fact, the same for first quarter 2017 is also expected to decline about 13% to 47 cents.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked insurers are Alleghany Corporation , Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. , and Primerica, Inc. (PRI - Free Report) .
Alleghany Corporation deals with P&C reinsurance and insurance businesses in the U.S. and internationally. The company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 20.52%. The company sports Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Health Insurance, which is a developer, distributor, and administrator of cloud-based individual health and family insurance plans, and supplemental products in the U.S., beat estimates in all of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 270.8%. The company sports Zacks Rank #1.
Primerica – a distributor of financial products to middle income households in the U.S. and Canada – delivered positive surprises in the trailing four quarters with an average beat of 6.4%. The company has Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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Is This the Right Time To Offload RLI Corp (RLI) Stock?
Shares of RLI Corp. (RLI - Free Report) have significantly underperformed the Zacks categorized Property and Casualty Insurance industry, quarter to date. While RLI Corp shares lost 7.9%, the industry gained nearly 12%. This Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) stock saw the estimates for 2016 and 2017 moving south by nearly 8.7% and 4.3%, over the last 60 days.
Exposure to catastrophe losses has been weighing on the insurer’s underwriting results. Also, RLI Corp. has been experiencing increasing expenses due to higher losses and settlement expenses and policy acquisition costs. The company should strive to ensure that its revenue growth rate outpaces rise in expenses or else, these costs will weigh on operating margin expansion. Though premiums increased, the company's growth was unimpressive amid competitive market conditions.
While RLI Corp.’s leverage ratio compares unfavorably with the industry, its dividend yield too lags the industry average.
The stock also remains expensive at the current level. While the price to earnings ratio (P/E) ratio of 31.5 is 8.6% premium to industry average of 29%, price to book value (P/B) of 3.0 compares unfavorably with the industry average of 1.5.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth quarter and full-year 2016 is currently pegged at 47 cents and $2.00, respectively. These translate to a year-over-year decline of 16.1% for the quarter and 21.2% for 2016. In fact, the same for first quarter 2017 is also expected to decline about 13% to 47 cents.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked insurers are Alleghany Corporation , Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. , and Primerica, Inc. (PRI - Free Report) .
Alleghany Corporation deals with P&C reinsurance and insurance businesses in the U.S. and internationally. The company delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 20.52%. The company sports Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Health Insurance, which is a developer, distributor, and administrator of cloud-based individual health and family insurance plans, and supplemental products in the U.S., beat estimates in all of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 270.8%. The company sports Zacks Rank #1.
Primerica – a distributor of financial products to middle income households in the U.S. and Canada – delivered positive surprises in the trailing four quarters with an average beat of 6.4%. The company has Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Zacks’ Best Private Investment Ideas
In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>