W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company, operates as a commercial lines writer in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment underwrites commercial insurance business, including premises operations, commercial automobile, property, products liability, and professional liability lines. It also provides workers' compensation, property casualty, general liability, and excess and umbrella coverage insurance products, as well as coverages for technology, ambulatory surgery centers, chiropractors, and concierge physicians; accident and health insurance and reinsurance products; insurance for commercial risks; pollution liability and protective coverages to contractors and owners; and liquor liability and inland marine coverage for small to medium-sized insureds. In addition, this segment offers aviation insurance products; directors and officers, and surety risk products, as well as products for life sciences and travel industries; coverage for excess liability, construction wrap-ups, and completed operations; cyber risk solutions; casualty, group life, and crime-related insurance products; personal lines insurance solutions, including home, condo/co-op, and collectibles; automobile, law enforcement, public officials and educator's legal, and employment practices liability, as well as incidental medical insurance products; and at-risk and alternative risk insurance program management services. The Reinsurance segment provides other insurance companies and self-insureds with assistance in managing their net risk through reinsurance on a portfolio basis through treaty reinsurance or on an individual basis through facultative reinsurance. W. R. Berkley Corporation was founded in 1967 and is based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Industry, Sector and Symbol
Stock Exchange NYSE
Industry Fire, marine, & casualty insurance
Sub-IndustryProperty & Casualty Insurance
SectorFinance
SymbolNYSE:WRB
CUSIP08442310
Phone203-629-3000
Debt
Debt-to-Equity Ratio0.49
Current Ratio0.37
Quick Ratio0.37
Price-To-Earnings
Trailing P/E Ratio31.70
Forward P/E Ratio20.81
P/E Growth2.25
Sales & Book Value
Annual Sales$7.68 billion
Price / Sales1.24
Cash Flow$3.6213 per share
Price / Cash21.55
Book Value$44.76 per share
Price / Book1.74
Profitability
EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$2.46
Net Income$549.09 million
Net Margins8.54%
Return on Equity7.25%
Return on Assets1.62%
Miscellaneous
Employees7,222
Outstanding Shares121,810,000
Market Cap$9.25 billion
W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Frequently Asked Questions
What is W. R. Berkley's stock symbol?
W. R. Berkley trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "WRB."
How often does W. R. Berkley pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for W. R. Berkley?
W. R. Berkley declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share on Wednesday, October 3rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 18th. View W. R. Berkley's Dividend History.
How will W. R. Berkley's stock buyback program work?
W. R. Berkley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, August 9th 2017, which allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares, according to EventVestor. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
How were W. R. Berkley's earnings last quarter?
W. R. Berkley Corp (NYSE:WRB) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July, 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.15. The insurance provider had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.58 billion. W. R. Berkley had a net margin of 8.54% and a return on equity of 7.25%. W. R. Berkley's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. View W. R. Berkley's Earnings History.
When is W. R. Berkley's next earnings date?
What price target have analysts set for WRB?
9 Wall Street analysts have issued 1 year target prices for W. R. Berkley's stock. Their predictions range from $66.00 to $78.00. On average, they expect W. R. Berkley's stock price to reach $70.75 in the next twelve months. This suggests that the stock has a possible downside of 9.3%. View Analyst Price Targets for W. R. Berkley.
What is the consensus analysts' recommendation for W. R. Berkley?
9 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for W. R. Berkley in the last year. There are currently 3 sell ratings and 6 hold ratings for the stock, resulting in a consensus recommendation of "Hold." View Analyst Ratings for W. R. Berkley.
What are Wall Street analysts saying about W. R. Berkley stock?
Here are some recent quotes from research analysts about W. R. Berkley stock:
- 1. According to Zacks Investment Research, "Shares of W.R. Berkley have underperformed the industry in a year’s time. Exposures to highly competitive reinsurance market and cat loss are concerns. Increasing debt inducing higher interest expenses weigh on desired margin expansion. Nonetheless, W.R. Berkley has been investing in a number of startups since 2006 as well as establishing new units, enabling it to take advantage of an improved market scenario. Establishing operating units in North and Southeast Asia is in line with the strategy while divestment of wholly owned investment is likely to drive shareholder value. Its international business has potential for long-term earnings growth. It is also successfully increasing rate over a considerable time. Reserving discipline and a strong capital position are other positives." (6/30/2018)
- 2. Boenning Scattergood analysts commented, "We think the company is an excellent core holding for long-term investors and is well positioned to take advantage of any improvement in market conditions. We believe Berkley benefits from the recent corporate tax reform both by increasing potential profitability as well as leveling the playing field with offshore competitors. However, the company’s P/B valuation is modestly high relative to its historical average, so we don’t see much potential for the shares to outperform in the near-term. As such, we believe the shares are fully valued and maintain our Neutral rating." (1/31/2018)
Who are some of W. R. Berkley's key competitors?
Some companies that are related to W. R. Berkley include Progressive (PGR), Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. Sponsored ADR common stock (TKOMY), Travelers Companies (TRV), Allstate (ALL), Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG), Ms&Ad Insurance Group (MSADY), Markel (MKL), Loews (L), Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd Subordinate Voting Shares (FRFHF), XL Group (XL), Arch Capital Group (ACGL), Cna Financial (CNA), Cincinnati Financial (CINF), American Financial Group (AFG) and Alleghany (Y).
Who are W. R. Berkley's key executives?
W. R. Berkley's management team includes the folowing people:
- Mr. William Robert Berkley, Exec. Chairman (Age 73)
- Mr. William Robert Berkley Jr., Pres, CEO & Director (Age 45)
- Mr. Richard Mark Baio, Sr. VP, CFO & Treasurer (Age 49)
- Mr. James Gerald Shiel, Exec. VP of Investments (Age 58)
- Mr. Ira Seth Lederman, Exec. VP & Sec. (Age 64)
Has W. R. Berkley been receiving favorable news coverage?
Media coverage about WRB stock has been trending somewhat negative on Monday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies positive and negative news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. W. R. Berkley earned a news and rumor sentiment score of -0.04 on Accern's scale. They also assigned headlines about the insurance provider an impact score of 48.37 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company's share price in the immediate future. View Recent Headlines for W. R. Berkley.
Who are W. R. Berkley's major shareholders?
W. R. Berkley's stock is owned by a number of of institutional and retail investors. Top institutional investors include BlackRock Inc. (8.60%), Victory Capital Management Inc. (3.20%), Boston Partners (2.93%), Janus Henderson Group PLC (2.75%), Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (1.27%) and Bank of New York Mellon Corp (0.98%). View Institutional Ownership Trends for W. R. Berkley.
Which institutional investors are selling W. R. Berkley stock?
WRB stock was sold by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Nuance Investments LLC, Russell Investments Group Ltd., Madison Investment Holdings Inc., Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Renaissance Technologies LLC, TD Asset Management Inc., BlackRock Inc. and First Trust Advisors LP. View Insider Buying and Selling for W. R. Berkley.
Which institutional investors are buying W. R. Berkley stock?
WRB stock was acquired by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Janus Henderson Group PLC, Millennium Management LLC, Bank of America Corp DE, BTIM Corp., Andra AP fonden, Scout Investments Inc., Victory Capital Management Inc. and California Public Employees Retirement System. View Insider Buying and Selling for W. R. Berkley.
How do I buy shares of W. R. Berkley?
Shares of WRB can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Scottrade, Fidelity and Charles Schwab.
What is W. R. Berkley's stock price today?
One share of WRB stock can currently be purchased for approximately $78.04.
How big of a company is W. R. Berkley?
W. R. Berkley has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion and generates $7.68 billion in revenue each year. The insurance provider earns $549.09 million in net income (profit) each year or $2.46 on an earnings per share basis. W. R. Berkley employs 7,222 workers across the globe.
How can I contact W. R. Berkley?
W. R. Berkley's mailing address is 475 STEAMBOAT ROAD, GREENWICH CT, 06830. The insurance provider can be reached via phone at 203-629-3000 or via email at [email protected]
MarketBeat Community Rating for W. R. Berkley (NYSE WRB)
MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about W. R. Berkley and other stocks. Vote "Outperform" if you believe WRB will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote "Underperform" if you believe WRB will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.
