W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Given New $66.00 Price Target at Bank of America

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) had its target price decreased by stock analysts at Bank of America from $69.00 to $66.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price would indicate a potential downside of 1.37% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on WRB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $68.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.80.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB opened at $66.92 on Tuesday. W.R. Berkley has a twelve month low of $57.75 and a twelve month high of $78.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $25.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.06, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.07.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 18.86%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 368,000 shares of W.R. Berkley stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $66.96 per share, with a total value of $24,641,280.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 54,589,504 shares in the company, valued at $3,655,313,187.84. This represents a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 5,782,916 shares of company stock valued at $399,073,250. Insiders own 23.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew 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 purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Maridea Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 2.0% in the 3rd 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. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 40.2% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 3.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in W.R. Berkley by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,328 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholders bought stock — recent filings show insider purchases totaling roughly $47M combined, a bullish signal that insiders see value at current levels. Major Shareholder Buys $22,258,500 Major Shareholder Purchases $24,641,280
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and expense guidance support cash returns — management affirmed a sub-30% expense-ratio target, signaled increased technology investments, and is returning about $971M to shareholders (buybacks/dividends), which supports EPS and ROE over time. Tech investments, expense target, $971M return
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed — WRB reported $1.13 EPS (vs. $1.14 consensus) and $3.18B revenue (roughly in line), with revenue +2.1% YoY. Underwriting and investment income lifted operating income, but headline metrics showed limited growth. Press Release: Q4 & Full-Year Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary/detail available — the full Q4 earnings call transcript provides tone and execution details that matter for forward guidance and expense/tech plans. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade/price-target cut — Bank of America’s Joshua Shanker reiterated a Hold and lowered the price target to $66, signaling limited upside from current levels and putting downward pressure on sentiment. BofA Hold, PT lowered to $66
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and growth concerns — some analysts/commentary describe WRB as “structurally expensive” with slowing top-line growth and limited upside, which can damp investor appetite despite solid underwriting. Seeking Alpha: Structurally Expensive
• Negative Sentiment: Tiny EPS miss and near-term growth questions — multiple outlets highlight the $0.01 EPS miss and commentary that revenues/earnings “lagged estimates,” which can trigger short-term selling by quant/earnings-driven investors. Zacks: Earnings & Revenues Lag Estimates

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.