Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $19.39 Million Stock Holdings in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 253,102 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,894 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.07% of W.R. Berkley worth $19,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC raised its position in W.R. Berkley by 16.8% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 81,647 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,256,000 after purchasing an additional 11,757 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $242,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 101,679 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,652,000 after buying an additional 24,150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

More W.R. Berkley News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Sumitomo / Mitsui bought a sizeable block of Berkley shares over Jan. 20–21 (roughly 630,000 shares, ~ $42–$43M total), increasing its stake and signaling institutional confidence/support for the stock. Mitsui Sumitomo buys Berkley (WRB) shares worth $42.6m
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published an earnings preview outlining expectations for WRB’s Q4 results (premium growth, investment income and underwriting performance are items to watch). This is useful context ahead of results but isn’t a direct catalyst until earnings are reported. W.R. Berkley Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and price targets remain mixed (Buy/Hold/Sell split); consensus rating is around “Reduce” with an average target near the low- to mid‑$70s — keep an eye on how individual shops adjust targets after earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded WRB to a Sell and cut its price target sharply to $55 from $77, a move that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling pressure. TD Cowen downgrades W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) to a Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several near‑term quarterly and FY EPS forecasts for WRB (multiple cuts to Q4/Q1–Q3 2026–27 and FY2026–27 estimates), lowering expected earnings momentum — this reduces near‑term upside to the stock absent stronger underwriting/investment results.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 368,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $66.96 per share, for a total transaction of $24,641,280.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 54,589,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,655,313,187.84. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders bought 5,782,916 shares of company stock worth $399,073,250. Insiders own 23.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WRB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Mizuho set a $69.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $71.47.

W.R. Berkley Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of WRB opened at $67.10 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $70.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.86 and a 52 week high of $78.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.56%.

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.