Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock Price

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $75.00 to $70.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 3.64% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down previously from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $75.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.33.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of WRB stock traded up $0.66 on Tuesday, hitting $67.54. 2,291,110 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,591,186. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley has a 52 week low of $58.07 and a 52 week high of $78.96. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.07. The firm has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.39.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.86% and a net margin of 13.01%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 368,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $66.96 per share, with a total value of $24,641,280.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 54,589,504 shares in the company, valued at $3,655,313,187.84. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last three months, insiders purchased 5,782,916 shares of company stock valued at $399,073,250. 23.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the second quarter worth $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder purchases — two sizable buys were reported (roughly $22.3M and $24.6M), signaling insider/large-holder confidence in the shares. Major Shareholder Buys $22,258,500 Major Shareholder Purchases $24,641,280
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and expense discipline — company affirmed a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target, plans increased tech investments, and is returning $971M to shareholders, which supports cash return thesis for investors. Article on capital returns and cost targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed quarterly results — Q4 EPS of $1.13 missed consensus by $0.01, while revenue (~$3.18B) was essentially in line and revenue was up ~2.1% YoY; underwriting and investment income showed strength but growth appears modest. Earnings snapshot & call Press release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst trims and neutral/hold stances — multiple firms trimmed price targets (Wells Fargo $68→$66; Mizuho $69→$67; BofA $69→$66) and assigned equal‑weight/neutral ratings, signaling limited near‑term upside and contributing to selling pressure. Benzinga on PT cuts TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary emphasizes limited upside / valuation concerns — coverage notes “solid underwriting but slowing growth” and calls the stock structurally expensive, which may pressure sentiment despite operational strengths. TipRanks/BofA commentary Seeking Alpha analysis

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.