Mitsui Sumitomo Continues to Build WR Berkley Stake

A beneficial owner continues to build a stake in W.R. Berkley Corp. (NYSE: WRB), and a director has scooped up a big batch of shares of post-IPO tech firm Navan Inc. (NASDAQ: NAVN). Though these were the most prominent insider purchases in the past week, there were a handful of other notable ones as well. Let’s take a quick look at these transactions.

Is Insider Buying Important?

What does insider buying tell us?

A well-known adage reminds us that corporate insiders and 10% owners really only buy shares of a company because they believe the stock price will rise and they want to profit from it. Thus, insider buying can be an encouraging signal for potential investors. This is especially so during times of market uncertainty, and even when markets are near all-time highs.

The fourth-quarter earnings-reporting season is yet to begin, so few insiders are prohibited from buying or selling shares. Below are some of the most notable insider purchases that were reported recently, starting with the largest and most prominent.

W.R. Berkley

• Buyer(s): 10% owner Mitsui Sumitomo
• Total shares: more than 1.1 million
• Price per share: $68.07 to $71.08
• Total cost: almost $80.1 million

Last spring, this buyer reached an agreement to acquire 15% of W.R. Berkley’s shares. Mitsui Sumitomo expects to complete its investment in this Connecticut-based insurance holding company during the first quarter of 2026. Its stake is up to more than 51.9 million shares, or over 13%.

The share price was last seen within the buyer’s latest purchase price range. Yet, the stock is fractionally higher than six months ago because of recent volatility due to profit-taking. But note that shares are up 22.1% year over year, outperforming the S&P 500 in that time. Analysts are cautious, with only four out of 18 of them recommending buying shares. The mean price target of $72.50 is 5.6% higher than the current price but less than the recent all-time high of $78.96.

Mitsui Sumitomo is a massive Japanese financial conglomerate. Note that it also recently acquired an 18% stake in MassMutual’s Barings.

Navan

• Buyer(s): a director
• Total shares: over 1.0 million
• Price per share: $15.59 to $18.21
• Total cost: almost $16.8 million

This Silicon Valley cloud-based technology platform for travelers provider had an initial public offering last fall. The share price retreated last month on disappointing quarterly results and news of the retirement of the chief financial officer. But the stock has largely recovered and was last seen trading for 12.1% less than the IPO price but still within the director’s purchase price range.

All 12 analysts who cover the stock recommend buying shares. They anticipate 41.1% upside potential in the next 12 months to the consensus price target of $25.08. Citizens and Rosenblatt recently reiterated Buy-equivalent ratings. Goldman Sachs has a street-high $30 price target.

Note that the director also bought some shares back in December, and his stake has increased to more than $8.3 million shares.

And Other Insider Buying

These were not the only notable insider purchases of the past week. Here is a quick look at some others.

Some smaller insider buying was reported at Agree Realty, APi Group, Casey’s General Stores, Intellia Therapeutics, Marriott Vacations, Mueller Water Products, SAIC, and United Natural Foods as well.

Billionaires Start 2026 With Huge Insider Buys