BMO Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for Progressive (NYSE:PGR) Stock Price

Progressive (NYSE:PGR) had its price target dropped by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $239.00 to $232.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 8.95% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $227.00 target price on Progressive in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Progressive from $250.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC set a $259.00 target price on shares of Progressive and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Zacks Research cut shares of Progressive from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Progressive in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $258.98.

Progressive Stock Performance

Progressive stock opened at $212.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $124.87 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $220.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.34. Progressive has a fifty-two week low of $198.50 and a fifty-two week high of $292.99.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John P. Sauerland sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.48, for a total transaction of $1,142,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 223,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,956,523.52. The trade was a 2.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven Broz sold 1,345 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.29, for a total transaction of $307,050.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,176.42. The trade was a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 13,788 shares of company stock valued at $3,018,961 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Progressive

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PGR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Progressive by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,667,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,500,146,000 after acquiring an additional 151,240 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Progressive by 0.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,808,762 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,373,474,000 after purchasing an additional 78,374 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Progressive by 2.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,513,188 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,128,055,000 after buying an additional 301,371 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Progressive by 78.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 13,704,197 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,384,082,000 after buying an additional 6,045,732 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Progressive by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,167,940 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,757,905,000 after buying an additional 2,314,864 shares during the last quarter. 85.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Progressive

Here are the key news stories impacting Progressive this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates — Progressive reported stronger-than-expected December/Q4 results with solid underwriting (an ~87% combined ratio reported by some outlets), revenue and EPS above consensus, and premium growth while prioritizing margins. This underpins near-term profitability and investor confidence. Progressive reports strong Q4 2025 results, announces CFO transition
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterates Buy and lifts price target to $334 — BofA’s upgrade/continued Buy stance with a much higher target signals analyst conviction in upside given sustained policy momentum and elevated profitability. That upgrade likely helped buying interest today. Progressive: Sustained Policy Momentum, Elevated Profitability, and Valuation Upside Support Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades citing de‑risked margins — Independent analysis (Seeking Alpha) upgraded PGR, arguing margin fears are overdone after the beat and highlighting disciplined underwriting and attractive valuation (~12x earnings). Progressive: Margin Fears Are Overdone (Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO retirement with internal successor announced — CFO John Sauerland will retire July 3, 2026; Andrew Quigg (Chief Strategy Officer) is named successor and will work with Sauerland for a transition. Internal succession reduces disruption risk but still introduces leadership change. Progressive Announces Plans For CFO Transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape and targets — While some firms (e.g., BofA, Barclays) are positive, others have trimmed targets or ratings recently; the median 6‑month target sits around $252, showing divergent views on growth vs. margin tradeoffs. Is Progressive Corporation (PGR) One of the Best Inexpensive Stocks to Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Some downgrades and negative calls — Zacks moved to a negative stance (reported as a downgrade to “strong sell” by some feeds) and firms like HSBC and BMO have cut ratings/targets recently; these may cap upside and add selling pressure for more cautious investors. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and mixed institutional activity — Recent disclosures show notable insider sales and significant rebalancing among large institutions, which could worry some investors about near-term sentiment even if institutional ownership remains large. The Progressive Corporation Announces Retirement of CFO John Sauerland, Successor Named

Progressive Company Profile

Progressive Corporation is a large U.S.-based property and casualty insurer that primarily underwrites personal auto insurance along with a broad suite of related products. Its offerings include coverage for private passenger automobiles, commercial auto fleets, motorcycles, boats and recreational vehicles, as well as homeowners, renters, umbrella and other specialty P&C products. Progressive also provides claims handling, risk management and related services to individual and commercial policyholders.

The company distributes its products through a mix of direct channels—online and by phone—and an extensive independent agent network.