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BRO vs. RYAN: Brown & Brown vs. Ryan Specialty Stock Comparison

How do Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN) are both classified in the Insurance Brokers sub-industry within the broader Insurance industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Brown & Brown (BRO) has more than two decades of public-market history since February 11, 1981, whereas Ryan Specialty (RYAN) listed on July 22, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
Profile ItemBRORYAN
NameBrown & Brown Inc.Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryInsurance BrokersInsurance Brokers
Market Capitalization23.92 billion USD12.10 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 1981July 22, 2021
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRO
RYAN
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN), 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Total Return (1Y)-8.59%-17.50%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)0.40%2.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.19%5.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRO
RYAN
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN), 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.50%43.93%
Beta (5Y)0.510.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.85%-60.94%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.25M1.89M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRO and RYAN 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.40-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.57-0.67

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 25.15% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Brown & Brown (BRO) at 9.80% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for RYAN.

BRO

Insurance industry group

9.80%

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

25.15%

Max
41.68%
RYAN
25.15%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 17.88% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.27% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

BRO

Insurance industry group

17.88%

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.27%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
RYAN
3.27%
Min
-4.68%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN) 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
ROE (TTM)9.80%25.15%
ROA (TTM)3.89%3.79%
Net Margin (TTM)17.88%3.27%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 22.49% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 21.28% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BRO.

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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Brown & Brown (BRO) at -8.67% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at -33.80% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Revenue Growth (YoY)22.49%21.28%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)17.38%20.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.67%-33.80%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.06%-3.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Brown & Brown (BRO) in Insurance and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN) 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 0.89% and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 1.06% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

BRO

Insurance industry group

0.89%

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

1.06%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
RYAN
1.06%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): 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 Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 63.75% 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%

RYAN

Insurance industry group

63.75%

Max
76.67%
RYAN
63.75%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.89%1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.89%63.75%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: Brown & Brown (BRO) at 22.82 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 59.66 is richer still, above its industry range.

BRO

Insurance industry group

22.82

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

59.66

RYAN
59.66
Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 3.51 and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.78 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

BRO

Insurance industry group

3.51

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.78

Max
4.03
RYAN
3.78
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 1.87 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 12.86 prices above its benchmark range — RYAN looks rich relative to book.

BRO

Insurance industry group

1.87

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

RYAN

Insurance industry group

12.86

RYAN
12.86
Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricBRORYAN
P/E Ratio (TTM)22.8259.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.513.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.8712.86
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----