W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WRB. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of W. R. Berkley from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W. R. Berkley in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W. R. Berkley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.13.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

NYSE:WRB traded down $1.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $64.27. 3,219,169 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,791,559. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $62.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.40. W. R. Berkley has a one year low of $50.73 and a one year high of $76.38.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.18. W. R. Berkley had a return on equity of 20.83% and a net margin of 12.88%. Sell-side analysts predict that W. R. Berkley will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of W. R. Berkley

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Optiver Holding B.V. raised its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 107.3% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 427 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in shares of W. R. Berkley by 79.9% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 822 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.