Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Buys 310,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui purchased 310,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.80 per share, with a total value of $21,018,000.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 53,571,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,147,971.20. The trade was a 0.58% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Major 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 NYSE:WRB opened at $67.52 on Friday. 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. The firm has a market cap of $25.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $71.16 and its 200-day moving average is $72.08.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.16 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.86% and a net margin of 13.01%.W.R. Berkley’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend 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 is presently 7.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on WRB shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $68.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI set a $69.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 price target on W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $71.47.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 30.8% in the 4th quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 5,014 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $786,000. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,301 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rydar Equities Inc. grew its stake in W.R. Berkley by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Rydar Equities Inc. now owns 9,803 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Mitsui Sumitomo purchased a sizeable block of Berkley shares (roughly 630k shares across Jan. 20–21, ~ $42.6M), increasing its stake — a strong institutional vote of confidence that can support the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets published Q4 previews and Wall Street metric projections indicating likely solid premium growth, improved investment income and prudent underwriting — useful guidance for what to expect when Berkley reports results. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed: consensus rating skews toward “Reduce” with an average price target near $71.47 — watch upcoming earnings and guidance to see which way estimates move.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed near‑term EPS forecasts (multiple cuts to Q4/Q1 and FY2026–FY2027 estimates), which lowers near‑term expectations and may pressure the stock if others follow. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Sell and slashed its price target to $55 from $77 — a high‑profile downgrade that likely weighed on sentiment and contributed to intraday weakness. Read More.

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.