W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) Shares Purchased by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) by 329.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,208 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,460 shares during the period. W. R. Berkley comprises about 0.4% of AlphaQuest LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in W. R. Berkley were worth $2,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W. R. Berkley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. PFS Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 719 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of W. R. Berkley in the third quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in W. R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at $48,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W. R. Berkley Stock Performance

Shares of WRB opened at $62.57 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.98 and a 200-day moving average of $59.63. The company has a market cap of $23.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. W. R. Berkley Co. has a 1 year low of $50.73 and a 1 year high of $65.49.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W. R. Berkley Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W. R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WRB shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of W. R. Berkley from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised W. R. Berkley from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W. R. Berkley in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.36.

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.