Fact based stock research
W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB)

US0844231029

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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).

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W. R. Berkley stock research in summary

berkley.com

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 23 (worse than 77% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 63). ...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 23 (77% 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 63% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 63). 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. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	23
Growth Rank	63
Safety Rank	16
Combined Rank	33

Country	USA
Industry	Property & Casualty Insurance
Index	D.J. US Insurance, S&P 500
Size class	XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: W. R. Berkley

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	14	19	24	23
GROWTH
GROWTH	73	79	73	63
SAFETY
SAFETY	30	16	16	16
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	91	92	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	79	51	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better W. R. Berkley is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	14	19	24	23
GROWTH
GROWTH	73	79	73	63
SAFETY
SAFETY	30	16	16	16
COMBINED
COMBINED	33	33	33	33

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of W. R. Berkley the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with alternatives), W. R. Berkley shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for W. R. Berkley. Price-to-Sales is 38 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 62% 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 24, 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 75% 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 23, is a sell 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. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	25	37	37	38
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	32	32	42	36
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	18	15	21	24
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	34	23	24	25
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	14	19	24	23

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of W. R. Berkley; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), W. R. Berkley shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator 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. Profit Growth with a value of 62 and Capital Growth with a rank of 51 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 41, which means that stock returns have recently been below 59% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. W. R. Berkley has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for W. R. Berkley, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	71	78	74	73
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	23	87	32	62
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	19	85	51
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	47	65	27	41
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	73	79	73	63

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of W. R. Berkley.

Safety Metrics in Detail

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. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with W. R. Berkley and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	49	28	49	54
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	10	8	8	8
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	59	29	60	55
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	30	16	16	16

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of W. R. Berkley and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	52	76	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	97	84	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	70	75	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	91	92	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for W. R. Berkley.
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