Zacks Research Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB)

W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W. R. Berkley in a research note issued on Monday, April 15th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now forecasts that the insurance provider will earn $1.47 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.46. The consensus estimate for W. R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $5.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W. R. Berkley’s Q2 2024 earnings at $1.45 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $1.43 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.56 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.92 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.74 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.83 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.57 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.54 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $6.68 EPS.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.10. W. R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. W. R. Berkley’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Truist Financial increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.22.

W. R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB traded down $1.41 on Wednesday, hitting $80.71. 1,560,416 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,182,281. The business’s fifty day moving average is $84.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.57. W. R. Berkley has a 12 month low of $55.50 and a 12 month high of $89.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W. R. Berkley

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WRB. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Glassman Wealth Services lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 123.1% in the fourth quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 92.3% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 398 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 106.1% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 406 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 132.6% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 414 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W. R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.70%.

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.