Q1 EPS Estimates for W.R. Berkley Reduced by Zacks Research

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) – Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for W.R. Berkley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $1.15 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.18. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.13 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.56 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.78 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WRB. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price objective (down from $76.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore set a $69.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.67.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB opened at $71.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. W.R. Berkley has a 52-week low of $59.55 and a 52-week high of $78.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.18.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui purchased 370,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.07 per share, with a total value of $24,815,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 54,959,504 shares in the company, valued at $3,686,133,933.28. This represents a 0.68% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 7,750,064 shares of company stock valued at $532,603,787. 23.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its stake in 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 period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.