Zacks Research Expects Reduced Earnings for W.R. Berkley

by · The Markets Daily

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB – Free Report) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2027 EPS estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a report released on Friday, September 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings of $1.24 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.25. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s Q1 2028 earnings at $1.43 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.98 EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share.

WRB has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.R. Berkley from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Atlantic Securities set a $74.00 price objective on W.R. Berkley in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $74.00) on shares of W.R. Berkley in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of W.R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $73.00 in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $70.83.

Read Our Latest Analysis on WRB

W.R. Berkley Trading Up 0.9%

WRB stock opened at $68.26 on Monday. W.R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $62.87 and a 1-year high of $78.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $70.30 and its 200-day moving average is $68.62. The firm has a market cap of $25.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.28.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is currently 8.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.R. Berkley

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.R. Berkley by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of W.R. Berkley by 44.7% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 466 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that specializes in commercial property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through a group of operating units, the company provides coverage for businesses and organizations facing risks related to property damage, liability, workers’ compensation, transportation, professional services and other specialty exposures.

The company generally focuses on specialty and complex risks that may require tailored underwriting, industry expertise and customized policy structures.

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