Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.17.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Brown & Brown in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Brown & Brown from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America increased their target price on Brown & Brown from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Brown & Brown from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Brown & Brown from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th.

Brown & Brown Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Brown & Brown stock opened at $121.02 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.82. Brown & Brown has a 1 year low of $80.33 and a 1 year high of $121.30. The company has a market capitalization of $34.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Brown & Brown Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. Brown & Brown’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brown & Brown

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Brown & Brown by 206.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 42,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,331,000 after buying an additional 28,603 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Brown & Brown during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its position 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 valued at $932,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares during the period. Finally, Cim LLC raised its stake in shares of Brown & Brown by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 14,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.01% of the company’s stock.

Brown & Brown Company Profile

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.