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GREENWICH, Conn. - W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB), a $27.4 billion market cap insurer, announced Wednesday a special cash dividend of 50 cents per share to be paid on June 30, 2025, to stockholders of record as of June 23, 2025.
The insurance holding company also increased its regular quarterly dividend by 12.5% to 9 cents per share, bringing the annual rate to 36 cents. The first payment at this new rate will also be distributed on June 30 to stockholders of record on June 23. According to InvestingPro, WRB has maintained dividend payments for 51 consecutive years, with the current dividend yield at 1.95%.
This marks the company’s latest move to return capital to shareholders. W. R. Berkley, founded in 1967, is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States, operating through two segments: Insurance and Reinsurance & Monoline Excess.
The announcement came through a company press release statement. The special dividend represents an additional return to shareholders beyond the regular quarterly payments.
In other recent news, W.R. Berkley Corporation reported its first-quarter 2025 earnings, which fell short of analysts’ expectations for both earnings per share (EPS) and revenue. The company posted an EPS of $1.01, missing the forecast of $1.05, and reported revenue of $3.01 billion, slightly below the anticipated $3.02 billion. Despite this, the company achieved record net premiums written of $3.1 billion and maintained a strong annualized return on equity of 19.9%. In related developments, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target for W.R. Berkley from $65.00 to $75.00, maintaining a Market Perform rating, citing solid reserve practices and financial stability. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs downgraded W.R. Berkley’s stock from Buy to Neutral, although it increased the price target from $74.00 to $76.00, reflecting concerns about reserve adequacy and valuation. The downgrade was influenced by W.R. Berkley’s weaker reserve position compared to its peers, despite the potential to benefit from industry-wide price increases. These recent developments highlight varying perspectives on W.R. Berkley’s financial outlook and market position.
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