13,032 W.R. Berkley Corporation $WRB Shares Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) by 187.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,032 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.R. Berkley were worth $1,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $105,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $95,040,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 1,300.5% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 751,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,988,000 after purchasing an additional 697,638 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,904,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,512,000 after purchasing an additional 550,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in W.R. Berkley by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,972,929 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $263,326,000 after purchasing an additional 377,742 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WRB. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of W.R. Berkley from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $65.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $70.56.

W.R. Berkley Trading Down 0.0%

W.R. Berkley stock opened at $75.22 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 52 week low of $62.87 and a 52 week high of $79.26. The company has a market capitalization of $27.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $71.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.43.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 19th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.70%. The company had revenue of $3.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. W.R. Berkley’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.91 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 8.46%.

About W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that provides commercial property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, and related services. Its offerings include coverage for businesses and professionals across areas such as property, casualty, workers’ compensation, transportation, and specialty risks.

Founded in 1967 by William R. Berkley, the company operates through a group of insurance businesses with expertise in specific markets and customer needs. Its operations serve customers in the United States and select international markets.

William R.