Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of W. R. Berkley Corp (NYSE:WRB) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, The Fly reports. They currently have $52.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of hedge funds and institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WRB. First Quadrant L P CA increased its position in W. R. Berkley Corp by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. First Quadrant L P CA now owns 141,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,760,000 after buying an additional 47,289 shares in the last quarter. Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP increased its position in W. R. Berkley Corp by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors LP now owns 71,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,891,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Finally, Wallington Asset Management LLC increased its position in W. R. Berkley Corp by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 65,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,582,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period.

Shares of W. R. Berkley Corp (NYSE:WRB) traded up 1.17% during trading on Thursday, hitting $48.51. The company had a trading volume of 217,738 shares. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $52.76 and a 200 day moving average of $54.69. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion and a PE ratio of 12.58. W. R. Berkley Corp has a 12-month low of $47.45 and a 12-month high of $58.46.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered W. R. Berkley Corp from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, January 4th. Compass Point restated a neutral rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of W. R. Berkley Corp in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $55.14.

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) is an insurance holding company. The Company operates in the three segments of the property casualty insurance business: Insurance-Domestic, Insurance-International and Reinsurance-Global. The Company’s Insurance -Domestic operating units underwrite specialty risks within the excess and surplus lines market and on an admitted basis. The Company through its Insurance-International operating units writes business in almost 40 countries across the world, with branches or offices in 15 locations outside the United States, including the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America, Canada, Scandinavia, and Australia. The Company provides other insurance companies and self-insureds with assistance in managing their net risk through reinsurance on either a portfolio basis, through treaty reinsurance, or on an individual basis, through facultative reinsurance.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:WRB

The Fly

Receive News & Ratings for W. R. Berkley Corp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W. R. Berkley Corp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.