As reported earlier, SunTrust analyst Mark Hughes downgraded ProAssurance to Hold from Buy and lowered his price target to $51 from $55. Hughes says the company's risk of higher than expected losses is elevated while the pricing environment remains soft for ProAssurance, adding that its cyclical industry has faced "periods of sharp, unpredictable movements in frequency and severity". Moreover, the analyst see the risk of a material deviation in the earnings of ProAssurance to be greater on a peer relative basis, justifying a more cautious stance on the stock.