Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a report issued on Monday, November 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $4.90 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $4.82. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.91 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.25 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.16 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.81 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.15 EPS and Q3 2028 earnings at $1.14 EPS.

WRB has been the topic of a number of other reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $74.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.56.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

WRB opened at $75.89 on Tuesday. W.R. Berkley has a fifty-two week low of $62.87 and a fifty-two week high of $79.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.34 and a 200 day moving average of $69.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $28.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.23.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 19th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.70%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is 8.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter worth about $105,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $95,040,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1,300.5% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 751,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $52,988,000 after acquiring an additional 697,638 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,904,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $192,512,000 after acquiring an additional 550,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,972,929 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $263,326,000 after acquiring an additional 377,742 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that provides commercial property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, and related services. Its offerings include coverage for businesses and professionals across areas such as property, casualty, workers’ compensation, transportation, and specialty risks.

Founded in 1967 by William R. Berkley, the company operates through a group of insurance businesses with expertise in specific markets and customer needs. Its operations serve customers in the United States and select international markets.

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