Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.67.

A number of analysts recently commented on BRO shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of Brown & Brown in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Brown & Brown from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Brown & Brown from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Brown & Brown from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Brown & Brown from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Brown & Brown Stock Up 0.1 %

BRO opened at $122.97 on Tuesday. Brown & Brown has a fifty-two week low of $80.33 and a fifty-two week high of $123.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.33 and its 200 day moving average is $108.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.10. Brown & Brown had a net margin of 20.68% and a return on equity of 17.81%. Research analysts expect that Brown & Brown will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brown & Brown Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. Brown & Brown’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.34%.

Institutional Trading of Brown & Brown

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BRO. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Brown & Brown by 206.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 42,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,331,000 after acquiring an additional 28,603 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its stake in Brown & Brown by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 9,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cim LLC boosted its holdings in Brown & Brown by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 14,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. 71.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Brown & Brown

Brown & Brown, Inc is an insurance agency, wholesale brokerage, insurance program and service organization. It engages in the provision of insurance brokerage services and casualty insurance underwriting services. It operates through the following segments: Retail, National Programs, Wholesale Brokerage, and Services.