Q1 EPS Estimates for W.R. Berkley Reduced by Zacks Research

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a note issued to investors on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.18. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.13 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.56 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.78 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America decreased their price target on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore set a $69.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.67.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of W.R. Berkley stock opened at $70.42 on Wednesday. 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 52-week low of $59.55 and a 52-week high of $78.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.36 and a 200-day moving average of $72.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is currently 8.09%.

Insider Transactions at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 370,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.07 per share, for a total transaction of $24,815,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 54,959,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,686,133,933.28. This represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought 8,316,450 shares of company stock valued at $572,768,056 over the last ninety days. 23.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 75.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 50,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,955,000 after purchasing an additional 21,737 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in W.R. Berkley by 9.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,419,000 after buying an additional 3,013 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 399.0% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,088 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 38.1% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 6,297 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sumitomo Insurance (a >10% holder) purchased a large block of WRB shares across Feb. 17–18 (total ~566,386 shares, ~0.5% increase; ~$40M combined), signaling confidence from a major strategic investor. SEC filing: SEC Filing
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 (ex‑dividend Feb. 23; payable Mar. 4), a modest cash return (approx. 0.5% yield) that supports income‑oriented holders. (Reported in recent coverage.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q4 2027 EPS estimate for WRB to $1.31 from $1.23 — a one‑quarter upside revision that is unlikely by itself to materially move valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch flagged that WRB underperformed its peers on Tuesday despite daily gains, suggesting sector rotation or relative valuation shifts are affecting short‑term flows. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple downward revisions across near‑term quarters and trimmed FY2026 and FY2027 EPS (FY2026 to $4.56, FY2027 to $4.78), reflecting weaker forward outlook assumptions and creating downside risk for consensus estimates and forward guidance expectations.

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.