Jefferies Financial Group Lowers W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Price Target to $70.00

Posted by ABMN Staff on Jan 29th, 2026

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $75.00 to $70.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 3.44% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WRB. BMO Capital Markets downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Truist Financial set a $84.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.43.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on WRB

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

Shares of WRB opened at $67.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.37 and a 200-day moving average of $72.02. The company has a market cap of $25.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley has a 1 year low of $58.07 and a 1 year high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at W.R. Berkley

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 308,931 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.61 per share, for a total transaction of $20,886,824.91. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 55,618,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,760,362,390.35. This represents a 0.56% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders acquired a total of 6,811,847 shares of company stock valued at $468,372,975 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 23.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 625,685 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 1.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 149,605 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $682,816,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,189,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $599,271,000 after buying an additional 289,172 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,274,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $534,438,000 after acquiring an additional 577,873 shares in the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key W.R. Berkley News

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

Positive Sentiment: Company reaffirmed a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target while signaling increased technology investments and returning $971M to shareholders (buybacks/dividends), supporting earnings power and capital allocation. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub‑30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted solid full‑year growth and record investment income that offset a modest Q4 operational miss, providing some upside to underwriting results and investment‑driven EPS. W. R. Berkley Balances Record Earnings With Market Risks
Neutral Sentiment: Q4 call/transcript shows a very small EPS miss (reported $1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus, ~‑$0.01) and revenues roughly in line; that reduces immediate shock but leaves little positive surprise in the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write‑ups note “solid underwriting” and structural strength but flag slowing growth and valuation concerns — useful context for longer‑term investors but not an immediate operational change. W.R. Berkley: Solid Q4 But Structurally Expensive
Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets and kept neutral/hold opinions (Jefferies, Wells Fargo, Mizuho, Bank of America), signaling limited near‑term upside and contributing downward pressure on the stock. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating
Negative Sentiment: Market reaction is also reflecting a narrow EPS miss and flat revenue trend in the quarter — these keep valuation multiple under pressure (analysts trimmed targets to mid‑$60s). W.R. Berkley Q4 Earnings Miss Estimate, Revenues Up Y/Y

About W.R. Berkley

(Get Free Report)

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.