Insider Buying: W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Purchases 285,000 Shares of Stock

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 285,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $20,132,400.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 57,163,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,037,997,004.32. This represents a 0.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

Shares of W.R. Berkley stock traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, reaching $70.91. 1,840,632 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,409,442. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a twelve month low of $59.55 and a twelve month high of $78.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.17.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WRB. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen downgraded W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.67.

Key W.R. Berkley News

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes WRB’s relative underperformance versus peers despite some daily gains; this signals mixed market sentiment rather than a company‑specific surprise. W.R. Berkley Corp. stock underperforms Tuesday
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent roundup asks whether Wall Street analysts like WRB, summarizing analyst views and coverage — useful context but not a single catalyst. Do Wall Street analysts like W R Berkley stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1–Q3 2026 and Q1–Q3 2027) and trimmed full‑year FY2026 and FY2027 estimates — examples: Q1 2026 lowered to $1.15 from $1.18, Q2 2026 to $1.09 from $1.12, Q1 2027 to $1.16 from $1.19, Q2 2027 to $1.22 from $1.25, Q3 2027 to $1.09 from $1.17; FY2026 was trimmed to $4.56 (from $4.63) and FY2027 to $4.78 (from $4.84). These downward revisions suggest Zacks expects slightly weaker near‑term results and are the primary negative catalyst for the stock today.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

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.