Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) Position Decreased by Lountzis Asset Management LLC

Lountzis Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,902 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,035 shares during the quarter. Brown & Brown accounts for 5.2% of Lountzis Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Lountzis Asset Management LLC's holdings in Brown & Brown were worth $12,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI boosted its holdings in Brown & Brown by 258.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 646,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $66,985,000 after buying an additional 465,988 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Brown & Brown by 17.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,466,582 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $255,537,000 after purchasing an additional 371,980 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Brown & Brown by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,109,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $114,979,000 after purchasing an additional 330,661 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Brown & Brown by 129.3% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 547,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,670,000 after purchasing an additional 308,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EULAV Asset Management boosted its stake in Brown & Brown by 144.8% during the 4th quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 430,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,960,000 after purchasing an additional 254,900 shares during the last quarter. 71.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brown & Brown Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BRO traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $112.62. 867,548 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,563,791. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $105.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.54. Brown & Brown, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.33 and a fifty-two week 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 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $32.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86.

Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.10. Brown & Brown had a net margin of 20.68% and a return on equity of 17.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Brown & Brown, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brown & Brown Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. Brown & Brown's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BRO. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Brown & Brown in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Brown & Brown from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on Brown & Brown from $108.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America increased their price target on Brown & Brown from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Brown & Brown from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.