Insider Buying: W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Purchases 290,000 Shares of Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 290,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $68.13 per share, for a total transaction of $19,757,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 55,908,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,809,041,676.55. This trade represents a 0.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:WRB traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $68.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,732,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,692. The company has a market cap of $26.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.99. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.07 and a 12 month high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.W.R. Berkley’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 8.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WRB shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on W.R. Berkley from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter worth $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, repeated insider purchases by major shareholder Sumitomo (Mitsui) over several days — totaling hundreds of thousands of shares and adding materially to a >10% stake — signal strong insider confidence and likely underpin buying interest. SEC Filing: Sumitomo/Mitsui buys WRB shares
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and updates highlighted record profitability, a $971M program of buybacks/dividends and a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target alongside increased technology investment — supportive for EPS and capital returns over time. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub‑30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) with revenue roughly in line — not a material shock but it removes upside surprise from the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets (Jefferies, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) and the consensus analyst rating sits at “Reduce”, applying downward pressure and limiting near‑term upside. WRB Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag slowing growth and valuation concerns despite solid underwriting — trimmed targets to the mid‑$60s raise the risk of further multiple compression if results do not accelerate. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating

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.