Insights Into W.R. Berkley (WRB) Q4: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics

Core Viewpoint - W.R. Berkley (WRB) is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.14 per share, reflecting a 0.9% increase year-over-year, with revenues projected at $3.75 billion, a 6.9% increase from the previous year [1]. Earnings Estimates - The consensus EPS estimate has been adjusted downward by 0.4% over the past 30 days, indicating a reassessment by analysts [1][2]. - Changes in earnings estimates are crucial for predicting investor reactions and have shown a strong correlation with short-term stock performance [2]. Key Metrics Forecast - Analysts predict 'Net premiums earned - Insurance' to be $2.84 billion, a 7.6% increase from the prior year [4]. - 'Revenues from non-insurance businesses' are expected to reach $159.47 million, reflecting a 4.4% year-over-year change [4]. - 'Net investment income' is forecasted to be $362.24 million, indicating a 14.1% increase year-over-year [4]. Additional Financial Ratios - 'Net premiums earned' are projected at $3.22 billion, a 6.9% increase year-over-year [5]. - The 'Loss ratio - Total' is expected to be 61.4%, slightly improved from 61.8% a year ago [5]. - The 'Expense Ratio - Total' is estimated at 28.6%, compared to 28.4% in the same quarter last year [5]. Combined Ratios - The 'Combined Ratio - Total' is anticipated to be 90.0%, slightly better than the 90.2% reported in the same quarter last year [6]. - 'Loss ratio - Reinsurance & Monoline Excess' is expected to be 58.2%, an improvement from 58.9% year-over-year [6]. Expense Ratios - The 'Expense ratio - Reinsurance & Monoline Excess' is forecasted to reach 31.1%, up from 29.5% a year ago [7]. - The 'Combined Ratio - Reinsurance & Monoline Excess' is expected to be 89.3%, compared to 88.4% in the previous year [7]. - The consensus for 'Expense ratio - Insurance' stands at 28.0%, slightly better than 28.3% last year [7]. Performance Overview - Shares of W.R. Berkley have shown a return of -3.6% over the past month, underperforming compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.4% change [8]. - W.R. Berkley holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating expectations of lagging market performance in the near future [8].