Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Purchases 285,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui purchased 285,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $20,132,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 0.5%

WRB opened at $70.42 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.37. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12 month low of $59.55 and a 12 month high of $78.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.16.

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

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio is 8.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 8.9% during the third quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 202,243 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $15,496,000 after purchasing an additional 16,450 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in W.R. Berkley by 0.6% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 737,183 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,161,000 after purchasing an additional 4,423 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 4.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,241,509 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $401,607,000 after acquiring an additional 242,546 shares in the last quarter. American Trust acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,847,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 133.5% in the 3rd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 31,520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 18,022 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $71.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus reduced their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore set a $69.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen cut W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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.

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.