Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Buys 345,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 345,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.65 per share, for a total transaction of $24,374,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 57,508,038 shares in the company, valued at $4,062,942,884.70. This trade represents a 0.60% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WRB opened at $71.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.18. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a twelve month low of $60.20 and a twelve month high of $78.96.

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 business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is 8.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 75.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 50,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,955,000 after purchasing an additional 21,737 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew 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 buying an additional 3,013 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 7,601 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,088 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 85,269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,162,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More W.R. Berkley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sumitomo Insurance (a >10% holder) bought two blocks of WRB stock this week — 345,000 shares on Feb. 19 and 160,582 shares on Feb. 20 — representing roughly $35.7M of purchases at about $70.65–$70.80 per share. Large, repeat buying by a major shareholder is a clear vote of confidence and likely the primary driver of today’s uptick. Insider Buy Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised Q4 EPS estimates for WRB, which supports the earnings outlook and reduces downside risk from near-term results. Upward estimate revisions can boost sentiment ahead of upcoming reports. Zacks Lifts Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary that WRB’s chances of S&P 500 inclusion may be rising has drawn attention; inclusion would likely increase passive fund demand if it occurs. S&P Inclusion Story
• Neutral Sentiment: WRB declared a small quarterly dividend of $0.09 (annualized $0.36, ~0.5% yield) with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 23 and pay date Mar. 4 — supportive for income investors but not a major catalyst. Dividend & Stock Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: several price-target cuts and a consensus “Hold” rating (consensus target ~$69.7) could limit upside even as some firms keep buy ratings. Recent target downgrades (e.g., Barclays, Mizuho) are a headwind to sustained rallies. Analyst Notes

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.