W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) has received an average rating of “Reduce” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $70.4286.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WRB shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $55.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, strategic insider purchases by Sumitomo/Mitsui — multiple disclosed buys this week totaling roughly $69M (several blocks: 370k, 350k and 308,931 shares at ~$67/share) signal confidence from a 10%+ shareholder and add short‑term buying support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target, flagged increased technology investments and announced ~$971M returned to shareholders (buybacks/dividends) — supports EPS leverage and capital return upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary on record investment income and buybacks has prompted debate that stronger profitability plus buybacks could materially change the investment case for WRB. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) and revenue roughly in line — removes shock but leaves little positive surprise in the quarter; investors will watch guidance and underwriting trends. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets (Jefferies to $70, Mizuho to $67, Wells Fargo to $66, Bank of America trimmed expectations) — signals limited near‑term upside and likely keeps downward pressure on the multiple. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note solid underwriting but slowing growth and valuation concerns; the narrow EPS miss plus flat revenue keep upside constrained and justify mid‑$60s targets. Read More.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

WRB opened at $68.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $58.07 and a 1-year high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.09 dividend. 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 308,931 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $67.61 per share, for a total transaction of $20,886,824.91. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 55,618,435 shares in the company, valued at $3,760,362,390.35. This represents a 0.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have bought 6,811,847 shares of company stock worth $468,372,975 over the last ninety days. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in W.R. Berkley by 75.6% during the 4th 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in W.R. Berkley by 399.0% during the first 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 during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,638 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $855,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth about $840,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

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.