Brown & Brown, Inc. has raised its quarterly dividend to $0.18 per share from $0.165, a 9.1% increase that extends the insurance brokerage's streak of annual dividend growth to 32 consecutive years. The new rate takes effect with an ex-dividend date of November 4, 2026, with the dividend payable November 11, 2026, to shareholders of record as of November 4.
The increase first stood out in dividend data tracked by Dividendly, a Madison Labs research site, which noted the move extends Brown & Brown's streak of annual payout increases to 32 straight years. At the company's last traded price of $72.97, the new quarterly rate annualizes to $0.72 per share, putting the dividend yield at roughly 0.99%, a modest figure that reflects the stock's valuation relative to its payout rather than any change in the pace of dividend growth.
For income-focused investors, a multi-decade streak of consecutive annual increases is one marker often used to gauge a company's commitment to returning cash to shareholders and its ability to sustain that commitment through different economic cycles. Brown & Brown's 32-year run places it among a small group of companies that have raised dividends annually through multiple recessions, interest-rate cycles and periods of market stress, though a long history of increases is not a guarantee that the pattern will continue.
The sustainability of that streak is partly a function of how much of the company's earnings are being distributed. Brown & Brown's trailing-twelve-month payout ratio, measured through the period ending June 30, 2026, stood near 18%, meaning the company retained the large majority of its earnings even after the latest hike. A low payout ratio generally gives a company more room to keep raising dividends even if earnings growth slows, since a smaller share of profits is already committed to shareholder payments.
The pace of Brown & Brown's dividend growth has also been accelerating in recent years. Annual dividend totals, adjusted for stock splits, rose 13.9% over the past year, compared with a 13.3% annualized rate over three years, 12.1% over five years and 10.5% over the past decade. That progression suggests the most recent increases have outpaced the company's own longer-term average, though the pattern reflects historical dividend data rather than any forward commitment from the company.
Brown & Brown has now built 39 full calendar years of dividend payment history, with increases in 32 of those years. Within the insurance brokerage sector, current dividend yields vary considerably: Aon plc carries a yield near 1.08%, Willis Towers Watson near 1.18%, and Marsh & McLennan near 2.01%, based on the companies' current share prices and dividend rates. Brown & Brown's sub-1% yield sits at the lower end of that peer group, a dynamic common among companies whose dividend growth has outpaced their stock price appreciation, keeping the yield compressed even as the per-share payout rises.
The dividend announcement comes against a mixed backdrop for equity and broader markets. Several large-cap names saw sharp single-day moves, with Palo Alto Networks up 7.2% and AT&T down 8.0%, while American Express, Accenture and Colgate-Palmolive each declined more than 3%. In cryptocurrency markets, Bitcoin traded near $80,163, down 0.5% over 24 hours, and Ethereum fell 2.0% to $2,321.34, continuing a period of volatility that has drawn attention from traders watching exchange-traded fund flows and broader risk sentiment. Dividend-paying stocks with long increase streaks are sometimes viewed by income investors as a steadier counterpoint to such volatility, though returns on any individual stock, including Brown & Brown, remain subject to market and company-specific risk.
Looking ahead, investors in Brown & Brown will likely watch whether the company's underlying earnings growth continues to support its payout ratio near current levels, and whether the pace of dividend increases seen over the past year can be sustained in future announcements. The company's next scheduled payment, record and ex-dividend dates will offer the first test of whether the new $0.18 quarterly rate holds steady or sees further adjustment. As with any dividend history, the 32-year streak reflects past decisions by the company's board rather than a forward guarantee, and shareholders will continue to track quarterly announcements for confirmation that the pattern persists.