Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Acquires 308,931 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 308,931 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $67.61 per share, with a total value of $20,886,824.91. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,618,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,760,362,390.35. This represents a 0.56% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of WRB stock 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 company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.19 and its 200-day moving average is $72.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. 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 is presently 8.09%.

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.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in W.R. Berkley by 75.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 50,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,955,000 after purchasing an additional 21,737 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,419,000 after purchasing an additional 3,013 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 399.0% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 7,601 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 14.0% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,638 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $855,000 after buying an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at $1,984,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WRB shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

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.