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BRO vs. WRB: Brown & Brown vs. W. R. Berkley Stock Comparison

How do Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB) 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB) both belong to the Insurance industry, though BRO is classified under Insurance Brokers while WRB falls under Property & Casualty Insurance.

Company profile comparison for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
Profile ItemBROWRB
NameBrown & Brown Inc.W. R. Berkley Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryInsurance BrokersProperty & Casualty Insurance
Market Capitalization23.92 billion USD27.95 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 11, 1981October 23, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRO
WRB
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB), 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Total Return (1Y)-8.59%4.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)0.40%21.96%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.19%18.80%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRO
WRB
GSPC
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB), 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.50%22.41%
Beta (5Y)0.510.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.85%-26.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.25M2.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRO and WRB 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.40-0.01
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.57-0.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 9.80% and W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 19.26% 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%

WRB

Insurance industry group

19.26%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
WRB
19.26%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 17.88% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 12.53%, which keeps about the industry-typical 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%

WRB

Insurance industry group

12.53%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
WRB
12.53%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB) 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
ROE (TTM)9.80%19.26%
ROA (TTM)3.89%3.43%
Net Margin (TTM)17.88%12.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 22.49% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 6.93% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BRO.

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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at -8.67% and W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 2.06% 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. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Revenue Growth (YoY)22.49%6.93%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)17.38%9.28%
EPS Growth (YoY)-8.67%2.06%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.06%10.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Brown & Brown (BRO) in Insurance and W. R. Berkley (WRB) 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB) 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 W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 0.89% and W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 0.49% 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%

WRB

Insurance industry group

0.49%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
WRB
0.49%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Brown & Brown (BRO) at 20.89% and W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 8.03% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

BRO

Insurance industry group

20.89%

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

WRB

Insurance industry group

8.03%

Max
76.67%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
WRB
8.03%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.89%0.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)20.89%8.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 15.90 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

WRB

Insurance industry group

15.90

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
WRB
15.90
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 1.88 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

WRB

Insurance industry group

1.88

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
WRB
1.88
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Brown & Brown (BRO) at 1.87 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while W. R. Berkley (WRB) at 3.04 carries an above-peer premium to book — WRB is pricier on assets.

BRO

Insurance industry group

1.87

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

WRB

Insurance industry group

3.04

Max
5.07
WRB
3.04
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
Loading chart…
Brown & Brown (BRO) vs. W. R. Berkley (WRB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown & Brown (BRO) and W. R. Berkley (WRB)
MetricBROWRB
P/E Ratio (TTM)22.8215.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.511.88
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.873.04
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----