Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) Stock

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) had its price objective boosted by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $105.00 to $109.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 8.31% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Brown & Brown from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Brown & Brown from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Brown & Brown from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Brown & Brown from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $128.00 price objective on shares of Brown & Brown in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $115.83.

Brown & Brown Stock Performance

Shares of Brown & Brown stock opened at $118.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Brown & Brown has a 52 week low of $80.33 and a 52 week high of $125.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $116.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.58.

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 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 fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brown & Brown

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brown & Brown in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Brown & Brown by 534.1% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its position in Brown & Brown by 122.7% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 294 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Brown & Brown during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Brown & Brown by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.