AlphaQuest LLC Makes New Investment in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 49,105 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,762,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WRB. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 691.9% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 586 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.R. Berkley by 148.4% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key W.R. Berkley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, strategic insider purchases by Sumitomo/Mitsui — multiple disclosed buys this week totaling roughly $69M (several blocks: 370k, 350k and 308,931 shares at ~$67/share) signal confidence from a 10%+ shareholder and add short‑term buying support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target, flagged increased technology investments and announced ~$971M returned to shareholders (buybacks/dividends) — supports EPS leverage and capital return upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary on record investment income and buybacks has prompted debate that stronger profitability plus buybacks could materially change the investment case for WRB. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) and revenue roughly in line — removes shock but leaves little positive surprise in the quarter; investors will watch guidance and underwriting trends. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets (Jefferies to $70, Mizuho to $67, Wells Fargo to $66, Bank of America trimmed expectations) — signals limited near‑term upside and likely keeps downward pressure on the multiple. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note solid underwriting but slowing growth and valuation concerns; the narrow EPS miss plus flat revenue keep upside constrained and justify mid‑$60s targets. Read More.

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE WRB opened at $68.18 on Friday. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.07 and a 1-year high of $78.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.09%.

Insider Transactions at W.R. Berkley

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 370,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 54,959,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,133,933.28. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have acquired 6,811,847 shares of company stock valued at $468,372,975 over the last 90 days. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WRB has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective (down previously from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI set a $69.00 target price on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.43.

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.