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BRO vs. MFC: Brown & Brown vs. Manulife Financial Stock Comparison

How do Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC) both belong to the Insurance industry, though BRO is classified under Insurance Brokers while MFC falls under Life & Health Insurance.

Company profile comparison for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
Profile ItemBROMFC
NameBrown & Brown Inc.Manulife Financial Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesCanada
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryInsurance BrokersLife & Health Insurance
Market Capitalization23.92 billion USD71.43 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 1981September 24, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRO
MFC
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Total Return (1Y)-8.59%36.28%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)0.40%38.35%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.19%22.50%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRO
MFC
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.50%20.87%
Beta (5Y)0.510.85
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.85%-26.99%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.25M1.92M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRO and MFC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.401.53
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.572.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 9.80% and Manulife Financial (MFC) at 12.24% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BRO

Insurance industry group

9.80%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
BRO
9.80%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%

MFC

Insurance industry group

12.24%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
MFC
12.24%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 17.88% and Manulife Financial (MFC) at 18.97% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

BRO

Insurance industry group

17.88%

Max
29.92%
BRO
17.88%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%

MFC

Insurance industry group

18.97%

Max
29.92%
MFC
18.97%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Brown & Brown (BRO) in Insurance and Manulife Financial (MFC) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
ROE (TTM)9.80%12.24%
ROA (TTM)3.89%0.59%
Net Margin (TTM)17.88%18.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Brown & Brown (BRO) reports revenue growth of 22.49%, ranked against its industry; Manulife Financial (MFC) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at -8.67% and Manulife Financial (MFC) at 8.10% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Revenue Growth (YoY)22.49%--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)17.38%29.95%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.67%8.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.06%-5.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Brown & Brown (BRO) in Insurance and Manulife Financial (MFC) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Brown & Brown (BRO) in Insurance and Manulife Financial (MFC) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Manulife Financial (MFC) at 4.32% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Brown & Brown (BRO) at 0.89% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, MFC the richer one.

BRO

Insurance industry group

0.89%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
BRO
0.89%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MFC

Insurance industry group

4.32%

Max
5.12%
MFC
4.32%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 20.89% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Manulife Financial (MFC) at 54.30% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

BRO

Insurance industry group

20.89%

Max
76.67%
Q3
35.18%
BRO
20.89%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MFC

Insurance industry group

54.30%

Max
76.67%
MFC
54.30%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.89%4.32%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.89%54.30%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Manulife Financial (MFC) at 17.23 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Brown & Brown (BRO) at 22.82 sits in the richer quartile — BRO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BRO

Insurance industry group

22.82

Max
28.37
BRO
22.82
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32

MFC

Insurance industry group

17.23

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
MFC
17.23
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Manulife Financial (MFC) at 2.11 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Brown & Brown (BRO) at 3.51 sits in the pricier quartile — BRO costs more per dollar of sales.

BRO

Insurance industry group

3.51

Max
4.03
BRO
3.51
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07

MFC

Insurance industry group

2.11

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
MFC
2.11
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 1.87 and Manulife Financial (MFC) at 2.13 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

BRO

Insurance industry group

1.87

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
BRO
1.87
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30

MFC

Insurance industry group

2.13

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
MFC
2.13
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Manulife Financial (MFC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Manulife Financial (MFC)
MetricBROMFC
P/E Ratio (TTM)22.8217.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.512.11
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.872.13
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----