Piper Sandler Turns Cautious on Old Republic (ORI) After Q4 Results

Core Viewpoint - Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE: ORI) is facing challenges following its Q4 results, leading to a downgrade by Piper Sandler from Overweight to Neutral and a reduction in price target from $51 to $38 [2] Financial Performance - For Q4 2025, Old Republic reported consolidated pretax operating income of $236 million, a decrease from $285 million in the previous year [3] - The consolidated combined ratio worsened to 96% from 92.7% year-over-year [3] - Full-year pretax operating income reached $1 billion, with a consolidated combined ratio of 94.7% [3] - Premium and fee revenue for the quarter was $789 million, reflecting a 12% increase compared to the same period last year [4] Business Outlook - Piper Sandler expressed concerns about Old Republic's specialty underwriting business, particularly due to ongoing challenges related to commercial auto loss cost inflation [2] - The firm generally advises caution for investors in companies facing loss cost reserve or loss trend issues [2] - Despite the challenges, Old Republic's president highlighted a 22% increase in book value per share, attributing it to strong operating earnings, higher investment valuations, and disciplined capital management [3]