7 stories mentioning WRBUpdated 9d ago
Every FINWIRES story that references WRB, newest first.
W. R. Berkley (WRB) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $67.31, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)
W. R. Berkley (WRB) said Wednesday its board has increased the share repurchase authorization back to its prior level of 25 million shares of common stock.Repurchases may be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, the company said.The company declared a special cash dividend on its common stock of $0.50 per share and also increased its regular quarterly dividend to $0.10 from $0.09, both payable July 2 to stockholders of record on June 23.
W. R. Berkley (WRB) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $67.56, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We trim our 12-month target price by $3 to $72, valuing WRB shares at 15.5x our 2026 operating EPS of $4.65 and 14.3x our 2027 EPS of $5.05, compared to three-year (14x) and peer (12x) averages. WRB posted Q1 operating EPS (before investment gains or losses) of $1.30 vs $1.05 last year, exceeding our $1.09 estimate and the consensus $1.14 forecast. We applaud WRB's 6.2% rise in net written premiums in 2025, which will likely top the growth rate of many peers, but WRB's written premium growth has decelerated sharply (+1.3% Y/Y in Q1). WRB has a very facile underwriting model, and the firm can allocate underwriting capital to areas with the healthiest underwriting characteristics. Management had expressed optimism that the firm would be able to retain this competitive advantage, but Q1 written premium trends indicate that WRB's ability to produce an above-peer rate of top-line growth may prove very challenging. This could weigh on the shares, potentially imperiling their premium valuation versus peers.
W. R. Berkley (WRB) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $67.62, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:WRB posted Q1 2026 operating EPS of $1.30 versus $1.05 a year ago, exceeding our $1.09 estimate and $1.14 consensus forecast. However, net written premium growth continued decelerating to just 1.3% from 9.9% in Q1 2025, raising concerns about WRB's ability to maintain above-peer top-line growth. We applaud WRB's facile underwriting model that allows capital allocation to the healthiest areas, but slowing premium trends could weigh on shares and imperil their premium valuation versus peers. Management expressed cautious optimism, noting margins "will continue to be excellent" while emphasizing effective capital management through 4.5M share repurchases in Q1. WRB's combined ratio improved modestly to 90.7% from 90.9%, with the Insurance segment deteriorating to 92.2% while Reinsurance improved to 78.6%. We note WRB's Q1 operating ROE of 21.2% remains well above the 15%-17% peer average, but challenging market conditions may prove difficult for sustaining premium growth rates.
W. R. Berkley (WRB) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $67.69, according to analysts polled by FactSet.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)Price: $66.40, Change: $-0.56, Percent Change: -0.84%
