UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Raises Stock Position in Brown & Brown, Inc. $BRO

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) by 34.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,788 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Brown & Brown were worth $3,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Brown & Brown by 44.0% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 975 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the third quarter worth about $22,642,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Brown & Brown by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 152,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,269,000 after acquiring an additional 14,868 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in Brown & Brown by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 533,491 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,036,000 after acquiring an additional 72,052 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brown & Brown during the third quarter worth $337,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Brown & Brown

Here are the key news stories impacting Brown & Brown this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 total revenues jumped to ~$1.6B (≈+35.7% YoY) and full-year revenues rose to ~$5.9B, driven largely by the Accession acquisition — a clear top-line catalyst. GlobeNewswire release
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s adjusted metric beat: Diluted Net Income Per Share — Adjusted was $0.93, topping the consensus (~$0.91) and supporting the view that underlying operations expanded. Zacks: earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: EBITDAC and adjusted EBITDAC rose materially (Q4 and FY), and adjusted EBITDAC margin expanded — signaling improved operating performance on an adjusted basis. Quiver summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets note growth in commissions/fees as the driver of the profit increase — useful confirmation but largely reiterative of the release. Reuters: profit rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed (recent buys and an underperform); median 6‑month target ~ $90 — watch for post-release updates that could move estimates. Benzinga: analyst note
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP diluted EPS of $0.59 missed the consensus and fell ~19% YoY — the headline EPS shortfall tempers the positive adjusted message and likely prompted some profit‑taking. Quiver: EPS miss
• Negative Sentiment: Organic revenue declined ~2.8% in Q4 and income‑before‑tax margin contracted (20.0% vs 23.2% prior year), raising questions about core underlying growth absent acquisitions. GlobeNewswire: organic decline
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet effects: long‑term debt rose substantially after acquisition financing (and cash used for the Accession transaction was large) — watch leverage and interest expense as potential headwinds. GlobeNewswire: balance sheet
• Negative Sentiment: Management team news: the company announced the passing of Chief Legal Officer Robert Mathis — operationally low impact but a leadership change to monitor. GlobeNewswire: CL officer passing

Brown & Brown Trading Up 0.6%

Brown & Brown stock opened at $79.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $79.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.11. Brown & Brown, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.17 and a 52 week high of $125.68. The stock has a market cap of $27.19 billion, a PE ratio of 23.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Brown & Brown had a net margin of 18.23% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Brown & Brown, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brown & Brown Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 4th. Brown & Brown’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BRO shares. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $97.00 price objective (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Brown & Brown in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Mizuho set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Brown & Brown and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Brown & Brown in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on Brown & Brown from $84.00 to $83.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Brown & Brown from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.67.

Brown & Brown Profile

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.