JSF Financial LLC Makes New $1.33 Million Investment in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

JSF Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,319 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,327,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WRB. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 691.9% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 586 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 148.4% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WRB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.43.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reaffirmed a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target while signaling increased technology investments and returning $971M to shareholders (buybacks/dividends), supporting earnings power and capital allocation. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub‑30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted solid full‑year growth and record investment income that offset a modest Q4 operational miss, providing some upside to underwriting results and investment‑driven EPS. W. R. Berkley Balances Record Earnings With Market Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 call/transcript shows a very small EPS miss (reported $1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus, ~‑$0.01) and revenues roughly in line; that reduces immediate shock but leaves little positive surprise in the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write‑ups note “solid underwriting” and structural strength but flag slowing growth and valuation concerns — useful context for longer‑term investors but not an immediate operational change. W.R. Berkley: Solid Q4 But Structurally Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets and kept neutral/hold opinions (Jefferies, Wells Fargo, Mizuho, Bank of America), signaling limited near‑term upside and contributing downward pressure on the stock. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction is also reflecting a narrow EPS miss and flat revenue trend in the quarter — these keep valuation multiple under pressure (analysts trimmed targets to mid‑$60s). W.R. Berkley Q4 Earnings Miss Estimate, Revenues Up Y/Y

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 308,931 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.61 per share, with a total value of $20,886,824.91. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 55,618,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,362,390.35. This trade represents a 0.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders purchased 6,811,847 shares of company stock worth $468,372,975 over the last quarter. Insiders own 23.00% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of WRB opened at $67.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $70.37 and its 200 day moving average is $72.02. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.07 and a fifty-two week high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued 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 return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. 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 payout ratio is presently 8.09%.

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.