When was this repurchase program authorized?

RLI's Board of Directors authorized the $250 million program on May 14, 2026. The company began executing repurchases during Q2 2026, buying back 234,973 shares at an average price of $51.25 per share.

How much of the authorization has been used so far?

RLI repurchased $12.0 million of common stock during Q2 2026, leaving $238.0 million of the $250.0 million authorization available as of June 30, 2026. This represents only about 5% of the total authorization used in the first quarter of the program.

What is RLI's track record on returning capital to shareholders?

Over the past five years, RLI has returned more than $1.3 billion to shareholders through combined dividends and share repurchases. In Q2 2026 alone, the company paid a special $2.00 per-share dividend ($184.0 million) and increased its regular quarterly dividend by 12.5%.

How does this buyback relate to RLI's financial performance?

RLI reported strong Q2 2026 results with $168.0 million net earnings ($1.82 per share) and an 85.6% combined underwriting ratio. Book value per share increased 11% from year-end 2025 (including dividends and repurchases), demonstrating underlying capital growth supporting the repurchase program.

What mechanism does RLI use for these repurchases?

RLI executes repurchases as open-market purchases under Rule 10b-18, which provides a safe harbor from insider trading concerns. This is the standard mechanism for corporate share buybacks in the U.S. and allows the company flexibility in timing and volume.

Why does RLI conduct share repurchases?

Share repurchases reduce the outstanding share count, which can support earnings-per-share accretion and improve capital efficiency for remaining shareholders. Combined with dividend increases and special dividends, buybacks are part of RLI's comprehensive capital allocation strategy to optimize returns during periods of strong profitability and capital generation.

RLI 8-K Filed 2026-07-22 New authorization

RLI Corp authorizes $250M share repurchase program

Board approves buyback on May 14, 2026; $12M repurchased in Q2 at $51.25 average price

Authorization$250M

Remaining$238M

MechanismRule 10b-18 open-market purcha

What the filing says

RLI Corp's Board of Directors authorized a $250.0 million share repurchase program on May 14, 2026, according to the company's second-quarter 2026 earnings release filed July 22, 2026. The authorization permits open-market repurchases of the company's outstanding common stock under Rule 10b-18.

During the second quarter of 2026, RLI executed initial repurchases under the program, buying back 234,973 shares at an average price of $51.25 per share for a total cost of $12.0 million. As of June 30, 2026, $238.0 million of the $250.0 million authorization remained available.

The repurchase program is part of RLI's broader capital return strategy. In the same period, the company also paid a special cash dividend of $2.00 per share (totaling $184.0 million) and increased its regular quarterly dividend to $0.18 per share, a 12.5% increase. Over the past five years, RLI has returned more than $1.3 billion to shareholders through combined dividends and share repurchases.

On May 14, 2026, the company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $250.0 million of the company's outstanding common stock. During the second quarter, RLI repurchased 234,973 shares at an average price of $51.25 per share for a total cost of $12.0 million. — RLI CORP 8-K filing · View on SEC EDGAR →

What this means

RLI's $250 million authorization represents a meaningful capital return commitment for the specialty insurance company. The program signals confidence in the company's financial position; RLI reported $168.0 million in net earnings for Q2 2026 and book value per share of $19.09, up 11% from year-end 2025 (inclusive of dividends and buybacks). With 91.8 million shares outstanding at mid-year, the $250 million authorization represents approximately 2.7% of shares at the current execution price ($51.25). The remaining $238 million capacity provides flexibility for continued repurchases alongside other capital allocation priorities, including the recently increased regular dividend.

Frequently asked questions

When was this repurchase program authorized?: RLI's Board of Directors authorized the $250 million program on May 14, 2026. The company began executing repurchases during Q2 2026, buying back 234,973 shares at an average price of $51.25 per share.
How much of the authorization has been used so far?: RLI repurchased $12.0 million of common stock during Q2 2026, leaving $238.0 million of the $250.0 million authorization available as of June 30, 2026. This represents only about 5% of the total authorization used in the first quarter of the program.
What is RLI's track record on returning capital to shareholders?: Over the past five years, RLI has returned more than $1.3 billion to shareholders through combined dividends and share repurchases. In Q2 2026 alone, the company paid a special $2.00 per-share dividend ($184.0 million) and increased its regular quarterly dividend by 12.5%.
How does this buyback relate to RLI's financial performance?: RLI reported strong Q2 2026 results with $168.0 million net earnings ($1.82 per share) and an 85.6% combined underwriting ratio. Book value per share increased 11% from year-end 2025 (including dividends and repurchases), demonstrating underlying capital growth supporting the repurchase program.
What mechanism does RLI use for these repurchases?: RLI executes repurchases as open-market purchases under Rule 10b-18, which provides a safe harbor from insider trading concerns. This is the standard mechanism for corporate share buybacks in the U.S. and allows the company flexibility in timing and volume.
Why does RLI conduct share repurchases?: Share repurchases reduce the outstanding share count, which can support earnings-per-share accretion and improve capital efficiency for remaining shareholders. Combined with dividend increases and special dividends, buybacks are part of RLI's comprehensive capital allocation strategy to optimize returns during periods of strong profitability and capital generation.

authorization specialty-insurance rule-10b-18 capital-return mid-cap

Source. This editorial summary is based on the SEC filing linked above. BuybackStocks aggregates and editorializes publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. Not investment advice. Past authorization announcements do not guarantee future repurchase activity or share price performance. See our full disclosures policy.