W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Price Target Raised to $76.00

by · The Cerbat Gem

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Free Report) had its price target raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $73.00 to $76.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets cut W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $67.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.87.

Get Our Latest Research Report on WRB

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

WRB stock opened at $70.23 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.75, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.39. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.37. W.R. Berkley has a fifty-two week low of $55.97 and a fifty-two week high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.86%. W.R. Berkley’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.R. Berkley

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 265,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $68.50 per share, for a total transaction of $18,152,500.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 51,445,463 shares in the company, valued at $3,524,014,215.50. The trade was a 0.52% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders bought a total of 2,638,875 shares of company stock valued at $184,652,772 over the last ninety days. 23.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter worth $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in W.R. Berkley during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Board increases share repurchase authorization to 25 million shares — expands the company’s ability to return capital and supports share demand/earnings per share. W.R. Berkley Increases Repurchase Authorization
  • Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Sumitomo (Mitsui) bought large blocks across Jan. 5–7 (totaling hundreds of thousands of shares) — a >10% holder adding to its position signals confidence and provides steady buying. Sumitomo SEC filing
  • Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $76 — another analyst view suggesting upside for investors focused on fundamentals. Keefe Bruyette target raise
  • Neutral Sentiment: Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings scheduled for Jan. 26 (after the close) — a near-term catalyst that could drive volatility in either direction. Earnings date announcement
  • Negative Sentiment: Evercore ISI downgraded WRB to “underperform” (PT $69) citing EPS pressure — a high-profile downgrade can trigger short-term selling and cautious positioning. Evercore downgrade
  • Negative Sentiment: Bank of America trimmed its target slightly to $73 from $74 — another modest negative datapoint in analyst coverage. BofA target cut

About W.R. Berkley

(Get Free Report)

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.

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