Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Grows Stake in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 177.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 143,518 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,832 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $11,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WRB. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,961,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,715,583,000 after buying an additional 625,685 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 3.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,189,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $599,271,000 after acquiring an additional 289,172 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 8.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,274,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $534,438,000 after acquiring an additional 577,873 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at $367,921,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,738,612 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $201,206,000 after acquiring an additional 121,045 shares during the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Sumitomo / Mitsui bought a sizeable block of Berkley shares over Jan. 20–21 (roughly 630,000 shares, ~ $42–$43M total), increasing its stake and signaling institutional confidence/support for the stock. Mitsui Sumitomo buys Berkley (WRB) shares worth $42.6m
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published an earnings preview outlining expectations for WRB’s Q4 results (premium growth, investment income and underwriting performance are items to watch). This is useful context ahead of results but isn’t a direct catalyst until earnings are reported. W.R. Berkley Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and price targets remain mixed (Buy/Hold/Sell split); consensus rating is around “Reduce” with an average target near the low- to mid‑$70s — keep an eye on how individual shops adjust targets after earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded WRB to a Sell and cut its price target sharply to $55 from $77, a move that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling pressure. TD Cowen downgrades W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) to a Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several near‑term quarterly and FY EPS forecasts for WRB (multiple cuts to Q4/Q1–Q3 2026–27 and FY2026–27 estimates), lowering expected earnings momentum — this reduces near‑term upside to the stock absent stronger underwriting/investment results.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

NYSE WRB opened at $67.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $70.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52-week low of $56.86 and a 52-week high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 7.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 368,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $66.96 per share, with a total value of $24,641,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 54,589,504 shares in the company, valued at $3,655,313,187.84. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last three months, insiders acquired 5,782,916 shares of company stock worth $399,073,250. Corporate insiders own 23.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WRB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $68.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. TD Cowen cut W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $71.47.

W.R. Berkley 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.