W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) has earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.4286.

Several research firms recently weighed in on WRB. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, November 7th. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th.

Trending Headlines about W.R. Berkley

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 Stock Performance

Shares of WRB opened at $68.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $70.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.00. 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 has a 12-month low of $58.07 and a 12-month high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its 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 return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 8.09%.

Insider Activity at W.R. Berkley

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 308,931 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.61 per share, with a total value of $20,886,824.91. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider 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 the SEC website. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,811,847 shares of company stock valued at $468,372,975 in the last quarter. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in W.R. Berkley by 75.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 50,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,955,000 after acquiring an additional 21,737 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 9.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,419,000 after purchasing an additional 3,013 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 399.0% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 7,601 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 14.0% in the 2nd 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, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $840,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.