July 18, 2024
Top 10 Stock W. R. Berkley Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: W. R. Berkley – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Insurance Index
W. R. Berkley is listed as a top 10 stock on July 18, 2024 in the market index D.J. US Insurance because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 51 (high 51% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for W. R. Berkley on July 18, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Property & Casualty Insurance |
| Index | D.J. US Insurance, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View W. R. Berkley Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 26 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 85 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 16 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 96 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 51 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock W. R. Berkley are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for W. R. Berkley. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 85, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 85% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 96, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 96% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 26, which means that the share price of W. R. Berkley is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 74% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 16, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 84% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 51, W. R. Berkley is better positioned than 51% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 85), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 96), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for W. R. Berkley very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock W. R. Berkley is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for W. R. Berkley. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 70 (better than 70% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in W. R. Berkley. The Professional Investors rank is 92, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 92% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 73 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 73% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 96 (more positive than 96% compared with investment alternatives), W. R. Berkley has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean W. R. Berkley stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: W. R. Berkley Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 26 (worse than 74% compared with alternatives), W. R. Berkley shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for W. R. Berkley. Price-to-Sales is 35 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 65% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning W. R. Berkley's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 27, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of W. R. Berkley. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 36 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 74% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 26, is a hold recommendation based on W. R. Berkley's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for W. R. Berkley? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as W. R. Berkley? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. W. R. Berkley may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: W. R. Berkley Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2022, W. R. Berkley shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for W. R. Berkley. Sales Growth has a value of 73, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 73% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 62 and for Capital Growth with 51. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 76, which means they have been higher than 76% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 85, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, W. R. Berkley exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: W. R. Berkley Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 54 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 8 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 55 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 16 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), the company W. R. Berkley has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of W. R. Berkley is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for W. R. Berkley. Leverage is at a rank of 54, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 54% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 55, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 55% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 8, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 92% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), W. R. Berkley has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for W. R. Berkley. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: W. R. Berkley Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 26 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 85 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 55 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 33 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 33 (worse than 67% compared with investment alternatives), W. R. Berkley (Property & Casualty Insurance, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of W. R. Berkley are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 26 (worse than 74% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 85). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation based on W. R. Berkley's financial characteristics. As the company W. R. Berkley shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 26 (74% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 85% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 85). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for W. R. Berkley, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
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