Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Buys 195,000 Shares of W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 195,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.36 per share, with a total value of $13,330,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,103,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,835,230,816.60. This trade represents a 0.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WRB traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $68.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,732,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,692. The company has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.07 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.99. 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 data 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 business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WRB. BMO Capital Markets lowered W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $64.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.43.

W.R. Berkley News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, repeated insider purchases by major shareholder Sumitomo (Mitsui) over several days — totaling hundreds of thousands of shares and adding materially to a >10% stake — signal strong insider confidence and likely underpin buying interest. SEC Filing: Sumitomo/Mitsui buys WRB shares
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and updates highlighted record profitability, a $971M program of buybacks/dividends and a sub?30% expense?ratio target alongside increased technology investment — supportive for EPS and capital returns over time. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub?30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) with revenue roughly in line — not a material shock but it removes upside surprise from the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell?side firms cut price targets (Jefferies, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) and the consensus analyst rating sits at “Reduce”, applying downward pressure and limiting near?term upside. WRB Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag slowing growth and valuation concerns despite solid underwriting — trimmed targets to the mid?$60s raise the risk of further multiple compression if results do not accelerate. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,033,581 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,596,795,000 after acquiring an additional 309,828 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 1.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,921,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,143,256,000 after buying an additional 149,605 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter worth about $682,816,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 3.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,189,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $599,271,000 after buying an additional 289,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,274,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $534,438,000 after buying an additional 577,873 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.