Zacks Research Forecasts Reduced Earnings for W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a note issued to investors on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.03 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.11. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.79 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.78 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.24 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.55 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.21 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.00 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WRB. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Evercore reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $67.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Argus lowered W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.94.

W.R. Berkley Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WRB opened at $70.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.29. W.R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $62.87 and a 1-year high of $78.96. The company’s fifty day moving average is $70.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.77. 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 (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 12.94%.The business’s revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS.

W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,639,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,349,000. Buckland Partners Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $10,563,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at approximately $95,040,000. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter worth approximately $894,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $4.78 from $4.63 and increased its Q4 2026 forecast to $1.18 from $1.15. The upgrades indicate expectations for stronger earnings in the current fiscal year, although the annual estimate remains just below the broader consensus of $4.79. W.R. Berkley stock information
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its Q2 2027 EPS estimate to $1.11 from $1.04 and its Q2 2028 forecast to $1.21 from $1.06, suggesting improved expectations for those periods. W.R. Berkley stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: The current Zacks forecast calls for $4.78 EPS in FY2026, $4.55 in FY2027 and $5.00 in FY2028. The FY2026 projection is close to consensus, while the longer-term figures provide investors with a mixed earnings trajectory. W.R. Berkley stock information
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.03 from $1.11, cut FY2027 EPS to $4.55 from $4.72, and lowered FY2028 EPS to $5.00 from $5.07. It also trimmed Q1 2027 and Q3 2027 estimates, pointing to softer earnings expectations beyond the current year. W.R. Berkley stock information

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.