Q3 EPS Estimates for W.R. Berkley Cut by Zacks Research

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.14 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.15. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s Q2 2027 earnings at $1.25 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $1.17 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 report on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $71.47.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE WRB opened at $67.10 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.05. W.R. Berkley has a 52 week low of $56.86 and a 52 week high of $78.96. The stock has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.39. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued 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 7.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 368,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $66.96 per share, for a total transaction of $24,641,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 54,589,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,655,313,187.84. The trade was a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 5,782,916 shares of company stock worth $399,073,250. 23.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 14,685 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 4,141 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 120,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,438,000 after buying an additional 6,229 shares during the period. Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 2,858 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $354,000. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 9,676 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

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 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.