Financial Strategies Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB)

Financial Strategies Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) by 29.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,112 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 12,140 shares during the quarter. W. R. Berkley accounts for about 1.2% of Financial Strategies Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Financial Strategies Group Inc.'s holdings in W. R. Berkley were worth $4,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WRB. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 92.3% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 398 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 106.1% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 406 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 132.6% during the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 414 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

W. R. Berkley Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WRB traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $82.13. 1,050,746 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,182,891. 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 company has a market cap of $21.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $84.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.44. W. R. Berkley Co. has a twelve month low of $55.50 and a twelve month high of $89.18.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. W. R. Berkley had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W. R. Berkley Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued 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 0.54%. W. R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WRB shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of W. R. Berkley from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $81.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of W. R. Berkley from $92.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of W. R. Berkley from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.22.

W. R. Berkley 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.

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