W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Acquires 281,386 Shares of Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 281,386 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.19 per share, for a total transaction of $20,031,869.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,878,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,049,147,525.22. This trade represents a 0.50% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:WRB traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.91. The company had a trading volume of 1,840,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,409,442. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12-month low of $59.55 and a 12-month high of $78.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. W.R. Berkley’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation 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 will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is 8.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,542,919,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter worth $682,816,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth $435,752,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 6,503.1% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,561,230 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $188,174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601,230 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in W.R. Berkley by 35,572.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,219,902 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $155,660,000 after buying an additional 2,213,679 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WRB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down previously from $73.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down from $76.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $73.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.67.

More W.R. Berkley News

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes WRB’s relative underperformance versus peers despite some daily gains; this signals mixed market sentiment rather than a company‑specific surprise. W.R. Berkley Corp. stock underperforms Tuesday
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent roundup asks whether Wall Street analysts like WRB, summarizing analyst views and coverage — useful context but not a single catalyst. Do Wall Street analysts like W R Berkley stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1–Q3 2026 and Q1–Q3 2027) and trimmed full‑year FY2026 and FY2027 estimates — examples: Q1 2026 lowered to $1.15 from $1.18, Q2 2026 to $1.09 from $1.12, Q1 2027 to $1.16 from $1.19, Q2 2027 to $1.22 from $1.25, Q3 2027 to $1.09 from $1.17; FY2026 was trimmed to $4.56 (from $4.63) and FY2027 to $4.78 (from $4.84). These downward revisions suggest Zacks expects slightly weaker near‑term results and are the primary negative catalyst for the stock today.

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.