Greenleaf Trust Acquires 139 Shares of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO)

Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Brown & Brown were worth $1,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Brown & Brown by 298.5% during the 3rd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Brown & Brown during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brown & Brown in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Brown & Brown by 130.7% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.01% of the company’s stock.

Brown & Brown Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Brown & Brown stock opened at $104.65 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $29.93 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $105.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.32. Brown & Brown, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.79 and a 1 year high of $114.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.73.

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.10. Brown & Brown had a return on equity of 17.81% and a net margin of 20.68%. Equities research analysts predict that Brown & Brown, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Brown & Brown Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Brown & Brown’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BRO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Brown & Brown from $108.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Brown & Brown in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Brown & Brown from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Brown & Brown from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.17.

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.