Nykredit A S Takes Position in W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB

Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 78,345 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,526,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth 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 in the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at $29,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.R. Berkley Price Performance

WRB opened at $69.13 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.79. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a one year low of $62.87 and a one year high of $78.96.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 12.94%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research cut W.R. Berkley from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $62.00 price target (down from $64.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Friday, June 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $68.00 target price (down from $74.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.94.

About W.R. Berkley

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.