Insider Buying: W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Buys $24,815,900.00 in Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui purchased 370,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 54,959,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,133,933.28. The trade was a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:WRB opened at $68.56 on Friday. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a one year low of $58.07 and a one year high of $78.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for 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%.W.R. Berkley’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,180 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in W.R. Berkley by 40.2% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 4.8% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,328 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, repeated insider purchases by major shareholder Sumitomo (Mitsui) over several days — totaling hundreds of thousands of shares and adding materially to a >10% stake — signal strong insider confidence and likely underpin buying interest. SEC Filing: Sumitomo/Mitsui buys WRB shares
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and updates highlighted record profitability, a $971M program of buybacks/dividends and a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target alongside increased technology investment — supportive for EPS and capital returns over time. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub‑30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) with revenue roughly in line — not a material shock but it removes upside surprise from the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets (Jefferies, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) and the consensus analyst rating sits at “Reduce”, applying downward pressure and limiting near‑term upside. WRB Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag slowing growth and valuation concerns despite solid underwriting — trimmed targets to the mid‑$60s raise the risk of further multiple compression if results do not accelerate. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating

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.