9,792 Shares in W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) Purchased by Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,792 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $573,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in W. R. Berkley by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 59,245 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,467,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $303,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $378,000. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc lifted its position in shares of W. R. Berkley by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 289,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $17,161,000 after buying an additional 4,577 shares during the last quarter. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W. R. Berkley Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of WRB opened at $62.13 on Friday. W. R. Berkley Co. has a 52-week low of $50.73 and a 52-week high of $65.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $59.50 and its 200-day moving average is $59.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $23.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.67.

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

W. R. Berkley Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WRB has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W. R. Berkley in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded W. R. Berkley from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.36.

W. R. Berkley 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.