StockNews.com Downgrades W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) to Hold

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W. R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W. R. Berkley presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.13.

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W. R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of W. R. Berkley stock traded down $4.76 on Thursday, hitting $65.53. 2,853,108 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,785,628. W. R. Berkley has a 12-month low of $50.73 and a 12-month high of $76.38. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $62.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.49. The company has a market cap of $24.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 44.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 11,796 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 3,647 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 116,767 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,624,000 after purchasing an additional 47,515 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 50.1% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 39,089 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,218,000 after buying an additional 13,039 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in W. R. Berkley by 30.2% in the third quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 51,186 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,904,000 after purchasing an additional 11,877 shares during the period. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in W. R. Berkley by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 161,193 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $9,144,000 after buying an additional 50,907 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.82% of the company's stock.

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.