Jefferies Financial Group Cuts Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) Price Target to $84.00

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) had its target price trimmed by Jefferies Financial Group from $89.00 to $84.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Brown & Brown from $105.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Brown & Brown from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Brown & Brown from $94.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Brown & Brown in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Brown & Brown from $83.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brown & Brown has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.64.

Brown & Brown Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of BRO opened at $72.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 2.10. Brown & Brown has a 1-year low of $71.32 and a 1-year high of $125.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $79.29 and a 200 day moving average of $87.41.

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

Brown & Brown Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Brown & Brown’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brown & Brown

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Brown & Brown by 423.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Brown & Brown in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Motco acquired a new stake in Brown & Brown in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Brown & Brown during the second quarter valued at about $49,000. 71.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.