W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Given New $52.00 Price Target at Barclays

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by Barclays from $50.00 to $52.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "underweight" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Barclays's price objective would suggest a potential downside of 12.32% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on WRB. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on W. R. Berkley from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of W. R. Berkley from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $69.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on W. R. Berkley from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $64.36.

W. R. Berkley Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WRB traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.31. The company had a trading volume of 2,974,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,242,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $22.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.39. W. R. Berkley has a one year low of $50.73 and a one year high of $65.49.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.18. W. R. Berkley had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 11.96%. As a group, research analysts forecast that W. R. Berkley will post 3.95 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of W. R. Berkley

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 619 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 719 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in W. R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in W. R. Berkley by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 801 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. 68.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.