Zacks Research Has Negative View of W.R. Berkley Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q4 2026 EPS forecast for W.R. Berkley to $1.17 from $1.18; full-year consensus EPS is $4.87.
• W.R. Berkley recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.27 EPS versus the $1.08 consensus and revenue of $3.72 billion, up 2.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Reduce” rating and $70.83 price target; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share.

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a report released on Friday, September 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings of $1.17 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.18. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley's current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 12.94%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WRB. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Thursday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Oppenheimer set a $70.00 target price on W.R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on W.R. Berkley from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $70.83.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB opened at $67.67 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.62. The firm has a market cap of $25.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley has a 1 year low of $62.87 and a 1 year high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. W.R. Berkley's payout ratio is presently 8.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in W.R. Berkley by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the second quarter worth $29,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 44.7% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 466 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

W.R. Berkley Corporation NYSE: WRB is an insurance holding company that operates through a group of property and casualty insurance businesses. The company provides commercial insurance and reinsurance products for businesses, organizations and other insurance companies, with an emphasis on specialty and complex risks.

Its offerings include commercial property and casualty coverage, excess and surplus lines, professional liability, workers' compensation, commercial automobile insurance, marine insurance and other specialty products.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.