Q4 EPS Estimates for W.R. Berkley Boosted by Zacks Research

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Zacks Research upped their Q4 2027 earnings estimates for W.R. Berkley in a research note issued to investors on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $1.31 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.23. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WRB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of 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. TD Cowen cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore set a $69.00 target price on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.67.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WRB opened at $70.42 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.16. W.R. Berkley has a fifty-two week low of $59.55 and a fifty-two week high of $78.96. The company has a market capitalization of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.37. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the fourth quarter worth $3,542,919,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter worth about $682,816,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth about $435,752,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 6,503.1% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,561,230 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $188,174,000 after purchasing an additional 2,601,230 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 35,572.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,219,902 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $155,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,213,679 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 285,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $20,132,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 57,163,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,997,004.32. This trade represents a 0.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders bought a total of 8,316,450 shares of company stock worth $572,768,056 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 23.30% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is currently 8.09%.

W.R. Berkley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sumitomo Insurance (a >10% holder) purchased a large block of WRB shares across Feb. 17–18 (total ~566,386 shares, ~0.5% increase; ~$40M combined), signaling confidence from a major strategic investor. SEC filing: SEC Filing
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 (ex‑dividend Feb. 23; payable Mar. 4), a modest cash return (approx. 0.5% yield) that supports income‑oriented holders. (Reported in recent coverage.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q4 2027 EPS estimate for WRB to $1.31 from $1.23 — a one‑quarter upside revision that is unlikely by itself to materially move valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch flagged that WRB underperformed its peers on Tuesday despite daily gains, suggesting sector rotation or relative valuation shifts are affecting short‑term flows. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple downward revisions across near‑term quarters and trimmed FY2026 and FY2027 EPS (FY2026 to $4.56, FY2027 to $4.78), reflecting weaker forward outlook assumptions and creating downside risk for consensus estimates and forward guidance expectations.

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.