Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for W. R. Berkley Co.’s Q1 2024 Earnings (NYSE:WRB)

W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of W. R. Berkley in a research report issued on Monday, April 15th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now expects that the insurance provider will earn $1.47 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.46. The consensus estimate for W. R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $5.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W. R. Berkley’s Q2 2024 earnings at $1.45 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $1.43 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.56 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.92 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.74 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.57 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.54 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $6.68 EPS.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.10. W. R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 11.38%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. W. R. Berkley’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Evercore ISI upped their price target on W. R. Berkley from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $81.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded W. R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W. R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.22.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WRB opened at $80.71 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $84.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. W. R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $55.50 and a 1-year high of $89.18. The company has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Vicus Capital purchased a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 563.2% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 451 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.70%.

W. R. Berkley Company Profile

W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company, operates as a commercial lines writers worldwide. It operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance & Monoline Excess. The Insurance segment underwrites commercial insurance business, including excess and surplus lines, admitted lines, and specialty personal lines.