W. R. Berkley (WRB) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Monday

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) will likely be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Monday, April 21st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.08 per share and revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in participating in the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts expect W. R. Berkley to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WRB traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $68.85. 2,145,119 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,803,719. W. R. Berkley has a fifty-two week low of $50.73 and a fifty-two week high of $76.38. The firm has a market cap of $26.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

W. R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. 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

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in W. R. Berkley stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB - Free Report) by 75.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,503 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,737 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in W. R. Berkley were worth $2,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WRB. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W. R. Berkley from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $73.00) on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on W. R. Berkley from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on W. R. Berkley from $57.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of W. R. Berkley from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W. R. Berkley currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.59.

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.