Which has the lower trailing P/E, MAIN or RLI?

MAIN has the lower trailing P/E: MAIN trades at 11.78 and RLI at 13.49. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, MAIN or RLI?

Over the past five years, RLI grew revenue faster — MAIN at a 11.02% CAGR versus RLI at 11.29%.

Does MAIN or RLI pay a bigger dividend?

MAIN yields 7.38% and RLI yields 3.86% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is MAIN or RLI more profitable?

MAIN runs the higher net margin — MAIN at 64.50% versus RLI at 22.22%.

How have MAIN and RLI total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, MAIN delivered 13.84% and RLI delivered 9.20% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) vs RLI Corp. (RLI)

A side-by-side comparison of Main Street Capital Corporation and RLI Corp. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of August 27, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

MAIN

Main Street Capital Corporation

$5.45B

$58.59Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Aug 27, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

RLI

RLI Corp.

$5.89B

$64.22Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Aug 27, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — MAIN vs RLI

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

MAIN +262.1% (+13.7%/yr)RLI +144.0% (+9.3%/yr)MAIN compounded faster over this window

MAIN RLI

MAIN vs RLI: by the numbers

•RLI is the larger company ($5.89B vs $5.45B market cap).
•MAIN trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (11.78 vs 13.49 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•MAIN converts more revenue to profit (64.50% vs 22.22% net margin).
•RLI grew revenue faster over the past five years (11.29% vs 11.02% CAGR).
•MAIN pays the higher dividend yield (7.38% vs 3.86%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	MAIN	RLI
P/E ratio	11.78	13.49
Forward P/E	15.32	22.45
P/S ratio	7.68	3.00
P/B ratio	1.70	3.38

Profitability

Metric	MAIN	RLI
Gross margin	100.00%	29.82%
Operating margin	80.71%	28.42%
Net margin	64.50%	22.22%
ROE	14.25%	25.04%

Dividends

Metric	MAIN	RLI
Dividend yield	7.38%	3.86%
Payout ratio	78.08%	56.62%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	MAIN	RLI
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	11.02%	11.29%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	65.11%	20.14%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	15.66%	5.66%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, MAIN or RLI?: MAIN has the lower trailing P/E: MAIN trades at 11.78 and RLI at 13.49. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, MAIN or RLI?: Over the past five years, RLI grew revenue faster — MAIN at a 11.02% CAGR versus RLI at 11.29%.
Does MAIN or RLI pay a bigger dividend?: MAIN yields 7.38% and RLI yields 3.86% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is MAIN or RLI more profitable?: MAIN runs the higher net margin — MAIN at 64.50% versus RLI at 22.22%.
How have MAIN and RLI total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, MAIN delivered 13.84% and RLI delivered 9.20% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full MAIN analysis Full RLI analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Main Street Capital P/E ratio RLI P/E ratio Main Street Capital dividend yield RLI dividend yield Main Street Capital ROE RLI ROE Main Street Capital operating margin RLI operating margin Main Street Capital revenue growth RLI revenue growth

Main Street Capital & RLI appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified August 27, 2026.