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

W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note issued on Monday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.08 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.06. 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 2025 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.06 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.06 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.34 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.34 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.13 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.13 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.93 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WRB. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W. R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of W. R. Berkley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W. R. Berkley has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.36.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

WRB stock opened at $66.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.07. The company has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.63. W. R. Berkley has a 52-week low of $50.73 and a 52-week high of $66.54.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.18. W. R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W. R. Berkley

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 107.3% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 427 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W. R. Berkley during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley during the third quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. W. R. Berkley’s payout ratio is 7.34%.

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.