Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC reduced its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) by 25.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,324 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 6,587 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $1,375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Spectrum Wealth Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Keystone Global Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
W.R. Berkley Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:WRB traded down $0.96 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.96. 1,242,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,571,325. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $70.40 and its 200-day moving average is $69.55. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a one year low of $55.80 and a one year high of $76.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.
W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.83% and a net margin of 12.32%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 23rd were issued a $0.09 dividend. This is a boost from W.R. Berkley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is 8.20%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WRB shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered W.R. Berkley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their target price for the company from $74.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on W.R. Berkley from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised W.R. Berkley to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.R. Berkley from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $72.54.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WRB
About W.R. Berkley
(
Free Report)
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.
Read More
Before you consider W.R. Berkley, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and W.R. Berkley wasn't on the list.
While W.R. Berkley currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
