Madison Asset Management LLC Cuts Position in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management reduced its W.R. Berkley stake by 6.1% in Q1, selling 105,692 shares and ending with 1,618,906 shares valued at about $107.3 million.
• W.R. Berkley reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings of $1.27 per share versus estimates of $1.09, helped by strong underwriting results. Revenue came in at $3.72 billion, above last year but below analyst expectations.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.10 per share from $0.09, while analysts remain mixed overall with a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $70.00.

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) by 6.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,618,906 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 105,692 shares during the quarter. W.R. Berkley accounts for about 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned about 0.43% of W.R. Berkley worth $107,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of WRB stock opened at $72.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.29. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52-week low of $62.87 and a 52-week high of $78.96. The business's fifty day moving average is $68.61 and its 200 day moving average is $68.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 12.64%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. This is a boost from W.R. Berkley's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WRB. Wolfe Research lowered W.R. Berkley from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded W.R. Berkley from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $70.00.

W.R. Berkley News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WRB reported Q2 adjusted earnings of $1.27 per share, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09, which signals stronger-than-expected profitability. W. R. Berkley Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company said profit rose on strong underwriting results, suggesting disciplined pricing and claims management are helping earnings. W. R. Berkley second-quarter profit rises on strong underwriting
• Neutral Sentiment: WRB’s Q2 revenue of $3.72 billion beat last year’s level but missed analyst expectations of about $3.28 billion, which likely limited upside for the stock. W R Berkley NYSE: WRB misses Q2 CY2026 revenue estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the earnings call for management commentary on premium growth, underwriting margins, and the outlook for the rest of 2026. W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: A Bank of America underperform rating reiteration may be adding some caution, signaling that not all analysts are convinced the current valuation or growth outlook is attractive. W.R. Berkley's (WRB) "Underperform" Rating Reiterated at Bank of America

W.R. Berkley 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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