Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) Raised to “Market Perform” at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $73.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $80.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.26% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Brown & Brown in a report on Thursday, November 20th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Brown & Brown from $105.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho decreased their target price on Brown & Brown from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upgraded Brown & Brown to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brown & Brown in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brown & Brown has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.64.

Brown & Brown Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE BRO opened at $72.09 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Brown & Brown has a 12 month low of $71.32 and a 12 month high of $125.68. The company has a market cap of $24.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.41.

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Brown & Brown had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 17.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. Brown & Brown’s revenue was up 35.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Brown & Brown will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brown & Brown

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BRO. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its position in Brown & Brown by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,388 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brown & Brown by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 552,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,074,000 after acquiring an additional 19,503 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brown & Brown by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 14,481 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 2,876 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Brown & Brown by 91.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 8,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Brown & Brown in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $328,000. 71.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Brown & Brown

Here are the key news stories impacting Brown & Brown this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded BRO from “underperform” to “market perform” (price target lowered to $73), a sign some analysts view downside as limited after recent weakness. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded the stock to a “hold,” which could provide modest support as some investors interpret upgrades as a floor for further selling. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: EPS $0.93 beat consensus $0.91, while revenue of $1.61B missed estimates (~$1.65B). EPS growth was solid year-over-year, but the revenue miss and management commentary appear to have prompted downward revisions from some analysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its long-term earnings outlook and cut its price target to $90 (from $94), citing Q4 results as the catalyst for lower forward assumptions—this reduces analyst confidence in near-term growth. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its expectations for BRO, further signaling analyst skepticism about upside following Q4. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target to $78 (now equal weight), reducing the consensus view of upside and suggesting more limited near-term appreciation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets lowered its price target to $81 and placed a “market perform” rating, another downward revision tightening analyst price expectations. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investor investigation into Brown & Brown, which raises legal/settlement risk and can pressure the stock while the probe proceeds. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted BRO reached a new 12-month low after recent analyst downgrades, reflecting the cumulative impact of cuts and the investigation on investor sentiment. Article Title

About Brown & Brown

Brown & Brown, Inc (NYSE: BRO) is a professional insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm that provides a broad range of property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, and specialty insurance products. The company works with commercial, public sector and individual clients to design and place insurance programs, manage claims and loss control, and deliver risk management consulting. Its services also include wholesale brokerage, program administration and other specialty distribution solutions that connect carriers and intermediaries to niche markets.

Brown & Brown operates through a decentralized model of operating units and subsidiaries, enabling local client service with the scale to access national and specialty markets.