Insider Buying: W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Buys 330,000 Shares of Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 330,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.45 per share, for a total transaction of $22,258,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 54,221,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,657,240,444.80. The trade was a 0.61% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

WRB stock traded down $0.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $67.10. The company had a trading volume of 3,969,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,733. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $70.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1-year low of $56.86 and a 1-year high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.86%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is 7.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WRB shares. Evercore ISI set a $69.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho set a $69.00 price target on W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. TD Cowen downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 price objective (down previously from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $71.47.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Sumitomo / Mitsui bought a sizeable block of Berkley shares over Jan. 20–21 (roughly 630,000 shares, ~ $42–$43M total), increasing its stake and signaling institutional confidence/support for the stock. Mitsui Sumitomo buys Berkley (WRB) shares worth $42.6m
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published an earnings preview outlining expectations for WRB’s Q4 results (premium growth, investment income and underwriting performance are items to watch). This is useful context ahead of results but isn’t a direct catalyst until earnings are reported. W.R. Berkley Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and price targets remain mixed (Buy/Hold/Sell split); consensus rating is around “Reduce” with an average target near the low- to mid‑$70s — keep an eye on how individual shops adjust targets after earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded WRB to a Sell and cut its price target sharply to $55 from $77, a move that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling pressure. TD Cowen downgrades W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) to a Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several near‑term quarterly and FY EPS forecasts for WRB (multiple cuts to Q4/Q1–Q3 2026–27 and FY2026–27 estimates), lowering expected earnings momentum — this reduces near‑term upside to the stock absent stronger underwriting/investment results.

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.