W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• W.R. Berkley Corporation reached a new 52-week high of $76.39, with the last trading price at $76.59 and a trading volume of 49,347 shares.
• Analyst ratings vary widely, with one strong buy, two buy, ten hold, and one sell rating, and an average target price of $72.54.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09, representing a 0.5% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 8.20%.

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $76.39 and last traded at $76.59, with a volume of 49347 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen downgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $78.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on W.R. Berkley from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on W.R. Berkley from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $72.54.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $71.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.41.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 18.83%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 22nd will be given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 22nd. W.R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WRB. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Spectrum Wealth Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter worth $34,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.R. Berkley Company 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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