Why RLI Corp (RLI) Remains a Top Specialty Insurance Stock

Why RLI Corp (RLI) Remains a Top Specialty Insurance Stock

Tue, September 1, 2026 at 8:15 PM GMT+3 3 min read

• RLI -0.46%

Investment management company First Pacific Advisors recently released its "FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund" second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Fund returned 27.02% in the first half of 2026, outperforming the Russell 2000 Value Index's 22.99% gain and the S&P 600 Index's 23.90% return. Small-cap earnings growth also began accelerating relative to large caps, while the small-cap technology sector surged nearly 100% in 26H1. The fund's technology holdings gained 72.39%, contributing 14.87 percentage points, compared with a 95.27% return and 7.10-point contribution from the benchmark's technology sector. Excluding IT and cash, the Fund contributed 12.73% versus 15.89% for the Russell 2000 Value Index; on a fully invested basis, the figures were 16.62% and 17.59%, respectively. The portfolio continued to trim appreciated technology holdings amid the AI-driven rally, while maintaining a bottom-up approach and avoiding beaten-down SaaS stocks due to the widening range of AI-related outcomes. The fund also eliminated about $62 million in capital gains during Q2 and approximately $140 million year-to-date through July, while ending the quarter with 10.2% in cash. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.

In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund highlighted stocks like RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI). RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) is a specialty insurer providing property and casualty coverage through a diversified portfolio of niche insurance products. The one-month return of RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) was 2.67% while its shares traded between $47.26 and $68.29 over the last 52 weeks. On August 31, 2026, RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) stock closed at approximately $64.13 per share, with a market capitalization of about $5.82 billion. FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"RLI Corp (NYSE:RLI) is a specialty property and casualty insurer. The company is extremely selective in writing business. Its diversified lines include niche-y areas such as school buses, Hawaii homeowners, and surety. RLI's unique culture, incentive structures and willingness to walk away from unprofitable business have historically led to exceptional financial performance. From 2015 through 2024, the company's combined ratio averaged 89.3% and its ROE averaged 16.6% despite being weighed down by excess capital. We have owned RLI since 2011 and the stock usually commands a premium valuation. We were pleased to be able to add to our position at roughly 20x this year's earnings."

Pixabay/Public Domain

RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. As per our database, 25 hedge fund portfolios held RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) at the end of the first quarter, which was 24 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on thebest short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI) and shared Ariel Investments' views on the company. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2026 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.