-- 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.