Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for W.R. Berkley

Posted by Stanley Muller on Nov 11th, 2026

W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB – Free Report) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2028 EPS estimates for shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, November 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $1.45 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.43. The consensus estimate for W.R. Berkley’s current full-year earnings is $4.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.R. Berkley’s FY2028 earnings at $5.00 EPS.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 19th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.53% and a return on equity of 19.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of W.R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $74.00 to $68.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $70.56.

Read Our Latest Research Report on W.R. Berkley

W.R. Berkley Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:WRB opened at $76.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.23. W.R. Berkley has a 1-year low of $62.87 and a 1-year high of $79.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

W.R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s payout ratio is presently 8.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter worth about $95,040,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in W.R. Berkley by 1,300.5% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 751,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,988,000 after purchasing an additional 697,638 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in W.R. Berkley by 23.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,904,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,512,000 after purchasing an additional 550,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in W.R. Berkley by 10.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,972,929 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $263,326,000 after purchasing an additional 377,742 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

W.R. Berkley News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:

Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $4.90 from $4.82, FY2027 to $4.81 from $4.58, and Q1 2028 to $1.45 from $1.43. It also increased estimates for several quarters, suggesting improved expectations for earnings over much of the forecast period.
Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis points to disciplined underwriting, premium growth, record investment income and AI-related efficiency gains as factors supporting profitability despite competition. Article: WRB Underperforms Industry, Trades at a Discount: Time to Hold or Buy?
Neutral Sentiment: Estimate changes were not uniformly positive: Zacks cut its Q2 2028 estimate to $1.15 from $1.20 and made small reductions to Q4 2026 and other forecasts. The revisions are mixed, though the firm’s longer-term annual estimates generally moved higher.
Neutral Sentiment: Investment income is benefiting from a larger portfolio and attractive reinvestment yields, but growth could slow, potentially limiting a source of earnings support. Article: Can WRB’s Net Investment Income Continue to Support Earnings?

About W.R. Berkley

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W.R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that provides commercial property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, and related services. Its offerings include coverage for businesses and professionals across areas such as property, casualty, workers’ compensation, transportation, and specialty risks. Founded in 1967 by William R. Berkley, the company operates through a group of insurance businesses with expertise in specific markets and customer needs. Its operations serve customers in the United States and select international markets.