Key Points
- Major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance purchased 281,386 WRB shares on Feb. 17 at an average $71.19 (~$20.03M) and bought ~566,386 shares across Feb. 17–18 (~$40M total), increasing its stake by about 0.5% to 56,878,038 shares — a notable show of confidence from a >10% holder.
- W.R. Berkley posted Q results of $1.13 EPS (missed consensus by $0.01) on $3.18B revenue (up 2.1% YoY) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 ($0.36 annualized, ~0.5% yield).
- Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $69.67, while Zacks has trimmed FY2026–FY2028 EPS forecasts, which could weigh on forward expectations.
W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui purchased 281,386 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.19 per share, for a total transaction of $20,031,869.34. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 56,878,038 shares in the company, valued at $4,049,147,525.22. This represents a 0.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
W.R. Berkley Stock Performance
Shares of WRB stock opened at $70.91 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $69.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.17. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $59.55 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The firm has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.37.
W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.
W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend
The firm 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 $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is 8.09%.
More W.R. Berkley News
Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Sumitomo Insurance (a >10% holder) bought a total of 566,386 WRB shares across Feb. 17–18 (~285,000 on Feb. 18 at $70.64 and ~281,386 on Feb. 17 at $71.19), increasing its stake by ~0.5% and signaling confidence from a large strategic investor. The purchases total about $40 million and were disclosed to the SEC. SEC Filing
- Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch notes that WRB underperformed peers on Tuesday despite daily gains, suggesting sector dynamics or relative valuation shifts may be influencing short‑term flows. Article
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed multiple quarterly and full‑year EPS forecasts (Q1–Q3 2026, Q1–Q3 2027 and FY2026–FY2028), lowering FY2026 to $4.56 and FY2027 to $4.78 from prior levels — a material downward revision cadence that could pressure forward guidance expectations and investor sentiment.
Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 192,866 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,524,000 after acquiring an additional 3,134 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 26,181 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth $275,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,922,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently commented on WRB. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group set a $71.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut W.R. Berkley from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.67.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WRB
W.R. Berkley Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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