Q1 2024 Earnings Forecast for W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) Issued By Zacks Research

W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) - Zacks Research upped their Q1 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst T. De now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $1.46 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.44. The consensus estimate for W. R. Berkley's current full-year earnings is $6.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W. R. Berkley's Q2 2024 earnings at $1.44 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $1.42 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.55 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.88 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.72 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.81 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.55 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.53 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.61 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.02 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.46 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up previously from $69.00) on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.11.

W. R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE:WRB traded down $0.43 during trading on Thursday, reaching $86.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 833,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,184,110. The firm has a market cap of $22.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.04 and a 200-day moving average of $74.37. W. R. Berkley has a 12 month low of $55.50 and a 12 month high of $89.18.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. W. R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 11.38%. W. R. Berkley's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W. R. Berkley

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Glassman Wealth Services grew its stake in W. R. Berkley by 123.1% in the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its stake in W. R. Berkley by 92.3% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 398 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 106.1% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 406 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 414 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. W. R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.70%.

About W. R. Berkley

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.