W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB Stock: International Assets Investment Management LLC Raises Position

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 187.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,032 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $1,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 44.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 466 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter worth $70,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE WRB opened at $75.22 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $71.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.43. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52 week low of $62.87 and a 52 week high of $79.26.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 19th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.70%. W.R. Berkley’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Oppenheimer set a $70.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $74.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.56.

W.R. Berkley Profile

W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that provides commercial property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, and related services. Its offerings include coverage for businesses and professionals across areas such as property, casualty, workers’ compensation, transportation, and specialty risks.

Founded in 1967 by William R. Berkley, the company operates through a group of insurance businesses with expertise in specific markets and customer needs. Its operations serve customers in the United States and select international markets.

William R.