Wells Fargo & Company Lowers W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Price Target to $66.00

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) had its target price dropped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $68.00 to $66.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential downside of 2.47% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.43.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE:WRB opened at $67.67 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $25.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $70.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.02. W.R. Berkley has a twelve month low of $58.07 and a twelve month high of $78.96.

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

Insider Activity at W.R. Berkley

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 308,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $67.61 per share, with a total value of $20,886,824.91. Following the transaction, the insider owned 55,618,435 shares in the company, valued at $3,760,362,390.35. This trade represents a 0.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders acquired 6,811,847 shares of company stock worth $468,372,975. Corporate insiders own 23.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,722 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 182.1% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 41,179 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after purchasing an additional 26,582 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in W.R. Berkley by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 3,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 172,670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,108,000 after purchasing an additional 37,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.M. Arbour LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $781,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

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.