Analysts Set W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) Price Target at $65.13

Shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.13.

WRB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of W. R. Berkley from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WRB traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $64.56. 211,356 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,990,716. The stock has a market cap of $24.48 billion, a PE ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.40. The business's fifty day moving average is $63.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.71. W. R. Berkley has a one year low of $50.73 and a one year high of $76.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.18. W. R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.83%. As a group, analysts predict that W. R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. W. R. Berkley's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W. R. Berkley

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 107.3% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 427 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 79.9% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 822 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.