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

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a report released on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.13. 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 FY2026 earnings at $4.57 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.37) EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on WRB. Evercore restated an “underperform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, March 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.94.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

WRB opened at $67.15 on Wednesday. W.R. Berkley has a 52-week low of $63.65 and a 52-week high of $78.96. 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 market cap of $25.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $68.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.30.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.17% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 75.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 50,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,955,000 after acquiring an additional 21,737 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 9.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,419,000 after acquiring an additional 3,013 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 399.0% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 7,601 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 394.1% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 21,757 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after buying an additional 17,354 shares during the period. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 691.9% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 586 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 512 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 370,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 54,959,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,686,133,933.28. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders bought 7,099,987 shares of company stock valued at $489,800,136 over the last quarter. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 currently 8.09%.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several near- and medium-term EPS forecasts (small lifts to Q3 2026, Q3 2027, Q4 2026/2027 and FY2026/FY2028; slight reduction to some quarters), implying incremental earnings tailwinds and supporting forward profit expectations. Zacks / MarketBeat note
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece highlights W.R. Berkley’s baby bonds as “investment-grade income at a discount,” which can attract income-oriented investors and provide demand support for the stock and paper. Seeking Alpha: Baby Bonds
• Neutral Sentiment: A Globe and Mail summary notes analysts have conflicting views on financial names including WRB, underscoring mixed market sentiment rather than a clear directional catalyst. Globe and Mail: Analysts Conflicting
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays cut its price target to $62 and moved to an “underweight” stance — a materially negative signal that implies downside versus current levels and could pressure sentiment among institutional holders. Benzinga: Barclays PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its target to $69 and set a “neutral” rating, lowering upside from prior expectations and removing some buy-side enthusiasm. Benzinga: UBS PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley issued a pessimistic forecast for WRB, adding downside commentary that could weigh on sentiment among growth/value-focused investors. AmericanBankingNews: Morgan Stanley

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.