Zacks Research Predicts Weaker Earnings for W.R. Berkley

Key Points

• Zacks Research trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for W.R. Berkley to $1.14 from $1.15, signaling slightly weaker near-term earnings expectations. The firm also issued updated forecasts for later periods, including FY2026 earnings of $4.65 per share.
• W.R. Berkley’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, reporting $1.30 EPS versus the $1.13 consensus and revenue of $3.69 billion, above estimates. The company also posted a 12.64% net margin and 18.92% return on equity.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall, with the stock carrying an average “Reduce” rating and an average target price of $68.81. Shares were down 1.8% to $65.39, near the lower end of their 52-week range.

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for W.R. Berkley in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings of $1.14 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.15. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley's current full-year earnings is $4.65 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.15 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.23 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $1.41 EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.17. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 18.92%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on WRB. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.R. Berkley from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $74.00 to $66.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $68.81.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE WRB opened at $65.39 on Thursday. W.R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $63.67 and a 1-year high of $78.96. The company has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.76.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. W.R. Berkley's payout ratio is currently 7.63%.

Insider Transactions at W.R. Berkley

In other news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui acquired 345,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.65 per share, for a total transaction of $24,374,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 57,508,038 shares in the company, valued at $4,062,942,884.70. This trade represents a 0.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have purchased a total of 2,183,798 shares of company stock worth $155,530,321 in the last ninety days. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alamar Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,026,000. Lido Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 0.8% during the first quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 29,044 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 1.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 79,272 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,254,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 28.1% during the first quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 28,655 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,899,000 after purchasing an additional 6,283 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 10.5% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,972,929 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $263,326,000 after purchasing an additional 377,742 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised longer-term earnings expectations for W.R. Berkley, including FY2026 and FY2028, which points to improved profitability outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also increased estimates for Q1 2027 and Q4 2027 EPS, reinforcing a more favorable medium-term growth view.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company remains on track with full-year consensus EPS estimates around $4.64 to $4.65, so the revisions are mostly incremental rather than transformational.
• Negative Sentiment: Several near-term forecasts were cut, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, and Q2 2027 EPS, which could temper enthusiasm about immediate earnings momentum.

About W.R. Berkley

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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