Czech National Bank Boosts Holdings in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Key Points

• The Czech National Bank increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley Corporation by 6.3%, acquiring an additional 4,336 shares for a total worth of $5,382,000 as of the latest reporting period.
• W.R. Berkley's recent quarterly dividend is $0.09 per share, with a 0.5% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 8.20%, scheduled for payment on September 30th.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for W.R. Berkley, with one strong buy, two buys, ten holds, and one sell, while the average target price sits at $72.54.

Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) by 6.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,255 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 4,336 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $5,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Spectrum Wealth Counsel LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Keystone Global Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 191.1% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 847 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $73.43. 3,377,319 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,556,391. The business's 50 day moving average is $70.79 and its 200-day moving average is $70.29. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1 year low of $55.80 and a 1 year high of $76.38. The company has a market capitalization of $27.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 18.83%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is 8.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on WRB shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of W.R. Berkley to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $72.54.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company, operates as a commercial lines writers worldwide. It operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance & Monoline Excess. The Insurance segment underwrites commercial insurance business, including excess and surplus lines, admitted lines, and specialty personal lines.