Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Acquires 275,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 275,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.95 per share, with a total value of $18,961,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,915,463 shares in the company, valued at $3,579,571,173.85. This trade represents a 0.53% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:WRB opened at $68.45 on Friday. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12-month low of $55.97 and a 12-month high of $78.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.33. The firm has a market cap of $26.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.39.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.16 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.86%. W.R. Berkley’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.56%.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Sumitomo (a >10% holder) has been buying materially—multiple purchases Jan. 5–9 totaling roughly 671k shares—signaling confidence from a large, strategic investor and providing steady demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The board increased the share repurchase authorization to 25 million shares, which supports buyback-driven EPS/book‑value accretion expectations and likely lifted sentiment among income/capital-return focused holders. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts/shops remain constructive — e.g., Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target — helping offset negative notes and giving investors a visible upside case. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: W.R. Berkley set its Q4 and full‑year 2025 earnings release for Jan. 26 (after‑market) with a conference call — this is a clear near‑term catalyst that could swing the stock either way. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI downgraded WRB to “underperform” citing EPS pressure and set a ~$69 target — high‑profile downgrades can trigger selling or reduce conviction among momentum investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America and other shops have trimmed targets or maintained cautious stances, adding to mixed analyst sentiment and limiting upside from current levels. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 22.3% in the third quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,997 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $569,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,180 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 40.2% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 3.3% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WRB. Wolfe Research started coverage on W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $78.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $69.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $72.87.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) is a publicly traded insurance holding company that underwrites and sells commercial property and casualty insurance, specialty insurance products, and reinsurance. Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, the company operates a portfolio of underwriting businesses that focus on niche and specialty commercial risks, offering coverage tailored to industries such as transportation, construction, professional services and other commercial lines.

The company’s product mix includes primary and excess casualty, property, professional liability, environmental and other specialty lines, together with treaty and facultative reinsurance solutions.