Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised W.R. Berkley’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $4.82 from $4.78, close to the broader consensus estimate of $4.84.
• W.R. Berkley exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.27 EPS versus the $1.08 consensus and revenue of $3.72 billion versus $3.28 billion; revenue rose 2.4% year over year.
• The stock traded at $68.27, while analysts maintained a mixed outlook resulting in a consensus “Reduce” rating and average price target of $70.94. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.10 from $0.09.

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.R. Berkley in a report issued on Thursday, August 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $4.82 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.78. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley's current full-year earnings is $4.84 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley's Q2 2027 earnings at $1.12 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $1.44 EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.05 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $71.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up from $70.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and set a $68.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered W.R. Berkley from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $70.94.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:WRB opened at $68.27 on Friday. W.R. Berkley has a 12 month low of $62.87 and a 12 month high of $78.96. The firm has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.29. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $71.18 and its 200-day moving average is $68.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,801,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,630,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,233,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 634,244 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,991,000 after purchasing an additional 41,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 2,864.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 550,428 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $35,447,000 after purchasing an additional 531,863 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from W.R. Berkley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.21%.

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.

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