Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Zacks Research upped their Q4 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.R. Berkley in a note issued to investors on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings of $1.31 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.23. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on WRB. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Bank of America cut their price target on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down from $76.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.67.

W.R. Berkley Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:WRB opened at $70.91 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $69.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley has a 1 year low of $59.55 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. W.R. Berkley’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 202,243 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,496,000 after purchasing an additional 16,450 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in W.R. Berkley by 0.6% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 737,183 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,161,000 after buying an additional 4,423 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in W.R. Berkley by 4.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,241,509 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $401,607,000 after buying an additional 242,546 shares during the period. American Trust acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter worth $1,847,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 133.5% in the third quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 31,520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,415,000 after acquiring an additional 18,022 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 370,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 54,959,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,686,133,933.28. This represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 8,316,450 shares of company stock valued at $572,768,056. Corporate insiders own 23.30% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

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

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large strategic insider buys — Sumitomo Insurance (a >10% holder) purchased ~566,386 WRB shares across Feb. 17–18 (~285,000 at $70.64 on Feb. 18 and ~281,386 at $71.19 on Feb. 17), adding roughly $40M to its position and increasing its stake by ~0.5%. This signals confidence from a major long?term shareholder and is likely supporting the stock. SEC Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — WRB announced a quarterly dividend of $0.09 (annualized $0.36, ~0.5% yield) with an ex?dividend date of Feb. 23 and pay date of Mar. 4. The payout (low payout ratio ~8%) reinforces capital return while leaving room for reinvestment or buybacks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance mixed — MarketWatch noted WRB underperformed peers on Tuesday despite daily gains, suggesting sector rotation or valuation differences are influencing short?term flows. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional / hedge fund activity shows modest adjustments (several funds added small stakes or increased positions), and consensus analyst view remains a “Hold” with an average target near ~$69.7 — mixed signals on near?term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut numerous near?term and multi?year EPS estimates (several Q1–Q3 2026 and 2027 quarters; FY2026 lowered to $4.56 and FY2027 to $4.78). While Zacks raised its Q4 2027 estimate to $1.31 from $1.23, the broader downward revision cadence could weigh on forward expectations and investor sentiment.

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.