Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Buys 195,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui bought 195,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $70.16 per share, with a total value of $13,681,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 51,640,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,623,094,884.08. This represents a 0.38% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

W.R. Berkley stock opened at $68.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52-week low of $55.97 and a 52-week high of $78.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.33.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WRB. Truist Financial set a $84.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Evercore ISI set a $69.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.87.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 22.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in W.R. Berkley by 1.8% in 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 lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $528,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

About W.R. Berkley

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.