Q3 EPS Estimates for W.R. Berkley Lifted by Zacks Research

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report issued on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.13. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s FY2026 earnings at $4.57 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.37) EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.17% and a net margin of 12.10%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Brean Capital downgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down from $76.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.19.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

W.R. Berkley stock opened at $66.58 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $68.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.33. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $63.65 and a fifty-two week high of $78.96. The company has a market capitalization of $24.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.37.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 22.3% during the third quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Maridea Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 2.0% during the third quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,180 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 14,364 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 40.2% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.R. Berkley

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 370,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 54,959,504 shares in the company, valued at $3,686,133,933.28. This represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased 7,294,987 shares of company stock worth $503,481,336 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 23.00% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued 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, February 23rd. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.09%.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Insiders and institutions have been buying stock in Q1 (including Sumitomo increasing its stake), signaling strong insider conviction and providing structural support to the share price; heavy insider buying tends to limit downside and attract value/income investors. Top 5 Insider Buys From Q1: Buy, Sell, or Hold in Q2?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks issued upward revisions for several medium‑term forecasts (Q4 2026, Q4 2027 and FY2028 EPS nudged higher), suggesting analysts see modest earnings tailwinds later in the cycle — a supportive signal for forward earnings expectations. MarketBeat: WRB / Zacks estimate notes
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece highlights W.R. Berkley’s baby bonds as investment‑grade, attractively priced income instruments — positive for fixed‑income investors and capital structure depth, but only indirectly relevant to near‑term equity performance. W. R. Berkley’s Baby Bonds: Investment-Grade Income At A Discount
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed near‑term quarter estimates (Q1 2027 and Q2 2026 EPS slightly reduced), indicating some softness expected in the upcoming quarters — a reason for caution if near‑term results miss consensus. MarketBeat: WRB / Zacks estimate notes
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target slightly (from $73 to $72) and keeps an “equal weight” rating, which is a modest negative signal for upside potential relative to peers — small but notable for momentum traders. Benzinga: Morgan Stanley cuts WRB PT

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

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.