Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Acquires 234,573 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui bought 234,573 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $70.32 per share, for a total transaction of $16,495,173.36. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 49,446,511 shares in the company, valued at $3,477,078,653.52. The trade was a 0.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

WRB stock opened at $70.73 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.52. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12-month low of $55.97 and a 12-month high of $78.96. The firm has a market cap of $26.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.86%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is 7.56%.

W.R. Berkley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sumitomo Insurance Co. Mitsui continued buying WRB stock across several late‑December trades, most recently acquiring 205,000 shares at ~$70.77 (bringing its reported holding to ~50.09M shares). The sequence of purchases (~234.6k on Dec 23, ~220k on Dec 24, ~220k on Dec 26 and ~205k on Dec 29) signals continued confidence from a >10% institutional owner and may support the stock. Sumitomo Insurance Buys WRB
• Positive Sentiment: W.R. Berkley named Erin Rotz president of Berkley Fire & Marine — an experienced inland marine and construction underwriting executive. The hire strengthens underwriting leadership in a specialty line that matters to Berkley’s earnings profile. Erin Rotz Appointment
• Neutral Sentiment: W.R. Berkley paid its quarterly dividend ($0.09; record Dec. 15, paid Dec. 29). The yield is modest (~0.5%) and unlikely to move the stock materially, but it maintains the company’s cash-return profile. Dividend and Company Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional holders (Vanguard, State Street, etc.) continue to own the bulk of shares (~69% combined), suggesting stability in the shareholder base but limited near‑term free float changes. Institutional Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage activity is mixed — BMO cut WRB to “underperform” ($64 TP) and Barclays has an “underweight” with a $73 TP, offsetting some positive analyst views; consensus remains a “Hold” with an average target near $73.9. These downgrades can cap upside until fundamentals or guidance change. Analyst Notes & Targets

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WRB shares. Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 price target on W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Mizuho set a $67.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $78.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $66.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WRB. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in W.R. Berkley by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,961,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,715,583,000 after buying an additional 625,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,921,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,143,256,000 after acquiring an additional 149,605 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the third quarter valued at approximately $682,816,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 3.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,189,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $599,271,000 after purchasing an additional 289,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in W.R. Berkley by 8.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,274,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $534,438,000 after purchasing an additional 577,873 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.