Analysts Set W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) Price Target at $63.08

W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $63.08.

WRB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of W. R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays began coverage on W. R. Berkley in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on W. R. Berkley from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WRB opened at $60.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.38. W. R. Berkley has a one year low of $44.88 and a one year high of $61.96. The company has a market capitalization of $23.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $58.40 and a 200-day moving average of $55.85.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. W. R. Berkley had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W. R. Berkley will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W. R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 23rd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 23rd. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in W. R. Berkley by 5.4% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 14,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 25.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,959 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 7,477 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 5.6% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,959 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 41,187 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,643,000 after buying an additional 1,782 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W. R. Berkley Company Profile

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.