Zacks Research Reduces Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered W.R. Berkley’s Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $1.24 from $1.25, while projecting $1.43 EPS for Q1 2028 and $4.98 for FY2028.
• W.R. Berkley’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.27 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 a $70.83 price target; the stock recently opened at $66.88, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share.

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.R. Berkley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.24 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.25. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley's current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley's Q1 2028 earnings at $1.43 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.98 EPS.

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

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on WRB. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $77.00 price objective (up from $71.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $68.00 target price (up from $67.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $62.00 price target (down from $64.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $70.83.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

W.R. Berkley stock opened at $66.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.48 and a 200-day moving average of $68.62. W.R. Berkley has a 52 week low of $62.87 and a 52 week 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 dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.21%.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,542,919,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at $435,752,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of W.R. Berkley by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,972,929 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $263,326,000 after purchasing an additional 377,742 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,768,180 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $249,757,000 after buying an additional 129,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,790,374 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $195,661,000 after buying an additional 26,726 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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