Zacks Research Lowers Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for W.R. Berkley in a research note issued on Friday, September 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $1.17 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.18. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of W.R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.83.

W.R. Berkley Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WRB opened at $68.26 on Tuesday. W.R. Berkley has a 52-week low of $62.87 and a 52-week high of $78.96. The business’s 50 day moving average is $70.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.62. The firm has a market cap of $25.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The business’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.05 EPS.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WRB. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,790,374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $195,661,000 after acquiring an additional 26,726 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 129.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 25,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,713,000 after purchasing an additional 14,568 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,007,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,526,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 73.5% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 747,731 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,431,000 after purchasing an additional 316,842 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

About W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that specializes in commercial property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through a group of operating units, the company provides coverage for businesses and organizations facing risks related to property damage, liability, workers’ compensation, transportation, professional services and other specialty exposures.

The company generally focuses on specialty and complex risks that may require tailored underwriting, industry expertise and customized policy structures.