W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Major Shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui Buys 290,000 Shares

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co Mitsui acquired 290,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.13 per share, with a total value of $19,757,700.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 55,908,435 shares in the company, valued at $3,809,041,676.55. The trade was a 0.52% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 0.4%

W.R. Berkley stock traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $68.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,732,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,692. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.07 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $70.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). W.R. Berkley had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 12.10%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that W.R. Berkley Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WRB. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on W.R. Berkley from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho reduced their target price on W.R. Berkley from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $69.00 price target on W.R. Berkley and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.43.

Key Stories Impacting W.R. Berkley

Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large, repeated insider purchases by major shareholder Sumitomo (Mitsui) over several days — totaling hundreds of thousands of shares and adding materially to a >10% stake — signal strong insider confidence and likely underpin buying interest. SEC Filing: Sumitomo/Mitsui buys WRB shares
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and updates highlighted record profitability, a $971M program of buybacks/dividends and a sub?30% expense?ratio target alongside increased technology investment — supportive for EPS and capital returns over time. W. R. Berkley signals increased technology investments and affirms sub?30% expense ratio target while returning $971M to shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) with revenue roughly in line — not a material shock but it removes upside surprise from the quarter. W R Berkley (WRB) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell?side firms cut price targets (Jefferies, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) and the consensus analyst rating sits at “Reduce”, applying downward pressure and limiting near?term upside. WRB Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts flag slowing growth and valuation concerns despite solid underwriting — trimmed targets to the mid?$60s raise the risk of further multiple compression if results do not accelerate. W. R. Berkley: Solid Underwriting but Slowing Growth and Limited Upside Justify Neutral (Hold) Rating

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 8.9% during the third quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 202,243 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $15,496,000 after acquiring an additional 16,450 shares during the period. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $553,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in W.R. Berkley by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 737,183 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,161,000 after acquiring an additional 4,423 shares in the last quarter. American Trust acquired a new position in shares of W.R. Berkley during the second quarter valued at $1,847,000. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,519,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

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.