Alamar Capital Management LLC Takes $2.03 Million Position in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Alamar Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 30,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,026,000. W.R. Berkley makes up about 1.2% of Alamar Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

Shares of WRB opened at $72.41 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $68.86 and a 200 day moving average of $68.37. The company has a market capitalization of $26.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.29. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12 month low of $62.87 and a 12 month high of $78.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.49% and a net margin of 12.94%.The business’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were issued a $0.10 dividend. This is an increase from W.R. Berkley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 8.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $68.00 target price (up from $67.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.R. Berkley from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.R. Berkley from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Argus lowered shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

W.R. Berkley 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.