Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Cuts Stake in W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd decreased its stake in shares of W. R. Berkley Co. (NYSE:WRB) by 45.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,372 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 15,193 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in W. R. Berkley were worth $1,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WRB. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W. R. Berkley in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W. R. Berkley by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 1,313 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in W. R. Berkley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of W. R. Berkley in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays increased their target price on W. R. Berkley from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on W. R. Berkley from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W. R. Berkley presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.13.

W. R. Berkley Price Performance

WRB opened at $65.53 on Friday. 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 $76.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.79 and a 200-day moving average of $60.56. The company has a market capitalization of $24.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.40.

W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 expect that W. R. Berkley Co. will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W. R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. W. R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.34%.

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.