Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Position in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,126,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 26,990 shares during the quarter. W.R. Berkley comprises about 2.3% of Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.30% of W.R. Berkley worth $78,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WRB. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 40.2% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Stock Up 1.4%

WRB stock opened at $65.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.10. The company has a market cap of $24.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.30. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12 month low of $62.87 and a 12 month high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 12.64%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WRB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, March 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $71.00 in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Argus lowered shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $68.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $68.81.

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.