W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) and International General Insurance (NASDAQ:IGIC – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, risk and earnings.
Dividends
W.R. Berkley pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. International General Insurance pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. W.R. Berkley pays out 8.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. International General Insurance pays out 12.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. W.R. Berkley has raised its dividend for 23 consecutive years and International General Insurance has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for W.R. Berkley and International General Insurance, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| W.R. Berkley | 6 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1.83 |
| International General Insurance | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.33 |
Risk & Volatility
W.R. Berkley has a beta of 0.29, meaning that its stock price is 71% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International General Insurance has a beta of 0.11, meaning that its stock price is 89% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
68.8% of W.R. Berkley shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 54.2% of International General Insurance shares are owned by institutional investors. 25.1% of W.R. Berkley shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 20.1% of International General Insurance shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares W.R. Berkley and International General Insurance’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| W.R. Berkley | 12.94% | 19.44% | 4.28% |
| International General Insurance | 20.68% | 17.03% | 5.45% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares W.R. Berkley and International General Insurance”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| W.R. Berkley | $14.71 billion | 1.78 | $1.78 billion | $4.87 | 14.48 |
| International General Insurance | $516.90 million | 2.22 | $127.15 million | $2.49 | 10.81 |
W.R. Berkley has higher revenue and earnings than International General Insurance. International General Insurance is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.R. Berkley, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
W.R. Berkley beats International General Insurance on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
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. This segment also provides accident and health insurance and reinsurance products; insurance for commercial risks; casualty and specialty environmental products; specialized insurance coverages for fine arts and jewelry exposures; excess liability and inland marine coverage for small to medium-sized insureds; and commercial general liability, umbrella, professional liability, directors and officers, commercial property, and surety products, as well as products for technology, and life sciences and travel industries. In addition, this segment offers cyber risk solutions; crime and fidelity insurance products; medical professional coverages; workers' compensation insurance products; general insurance; personal lines insurance solutions, including home, condo/co-op, auto, and collectibles; automobile, law enforcement, public officials and educator's legal, and employment practices liability, as well as incidental medical and property and crime insurance products; at-risk and alternative risk insurance program management services; professional liability; energy and marine risks; and provides insurance products to the Lloyd's marketplace. The Reinsurance & Monoline Excess segment provides treaty and facultative reinsurance solutions; property and casualty reinsurance; facultative reinsurance products include automatic, semi-automatic and individual risk assumed reinsurance; and turnkey products such as cyber, employment practices liability insurance, liquor liability insurance and violent events. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut.
About International General Insurance
International General Insurance Holdings Ltd. engages in the provision of specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Long-tail, Specialty Short-tail, and Reinsurance. It is involved in underwriting a portfolio of specialty risks, including energy, property, construction and engineering, ports and terminals, general aviation, political violence, professional lines, financial institutions, motor, marine liability, contingency, marine, treaty, and casualty insurance and reinsurance. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Amman, Jordan.
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