Madison Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Madison Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 6.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,618,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 105,692 shares during the quarter. W.R. Berkley makes up about 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $107,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WRB. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in W.R. Berkley by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in W.R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.R. Berkley Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE WRB opened at $72.71 on Tuesday. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1 year low of $62.87 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $68.61 and its 200 day moving average is $68.34.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.18. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 12.64%.The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. W.R. Berkley’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This is a boost from W.R. Berkley’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.47%.

Key Headlines Impacting W.R. Berkley

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

• Positive Sentiment: WRB reported Q2 adjusted earnings of $1.27 per share, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09, which signals stronger-than-expected profitability. W. R. Berkley Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company said profit rose on strong underwriting results, suggesting disciplined pricing and claims management are helping earnings. W. R. Berkley second-quarter profit rises on strong underwriting
• Neutral Sentiment: WRB’s Q2 revenue of $3.72 billion beat last year’s level but missed analyst expectations of about $3.28 billion, which likely limited upside for the stock. W R Berkley (NYSE:WRB) misses Q2 CY2026 revenue estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the earnings call for management commentary on premium growth, underwriting margins, and the outlook for the rest of 2026. W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: A Bank of America underperform rating reiteration may be adding some caution, signaling that not all analysts are convinced the current valuation or growth outlook is attractive. W.R. Berkley’s (WRB) “Underperform” Rating Reiterated at Bank of America

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WRB has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $58.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Argus lowered shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 target price on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $64.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.00.

W.R. Berkley 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.