Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Acquires 285,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui purchased 285,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $20,132,400.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 57,163,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,037,997,004.32. The trade was a 0.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WRB traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.91. 1,840,632 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,409,442. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52 week low of $59.55 and a 52 week high of $78.96. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $69.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.17.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in W.R. Berkley by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (down previously from $76.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore set a $69.00 target price on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

More W.R. Berkley News

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes WRB’s relative underperformance versus peers despite some daily gains; this signals mixed market sentiment rather than a company?specific surprise. W.R. Berkley Corp. stock underperforms Tuesday
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent roundup asks whether Wall Street analysts like WRB, summarizing analyst views and coverage — useful context but not a single catalyst. Do Wall Street analysts like W R Berkley stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1–Q3 2026 and Q1–Q3 2027) and trimmed full?year FY2026 and FY2027 estimates — examples: Q1 2026 lowered to $1.15 from $1.18, Q2 2026 to $1.09 from $1.12, Q1 2027 to $1.16 from $1.19, Q2 2027 to $1.22 from $1.25, Q3 2027 to $1.09 from $1.17; FY2026 was trimmed to $4.56 (from $4.63) and FY2027 to $4.78 (from $4.84). These downward revisions suggest Zacks expects slightly weaker near?term results and are the primary negative catalyst for the stock today.

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.