Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $284.1176.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $292.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $277.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total value of $1,032,440.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,472,271.97. This trade represents a 18.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.05, for a total transaction of $1,290,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 95,777 shares in the company, valued at $24,715,254.85. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,100 shares of company stock valued at $6,677,865 over the last quarter. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 10.6% in the second quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 3,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,009,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 29.0% in the second quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 60.9% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 8.2% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,148,000 after buying an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG opened at $214.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $195.00 and a fifty-two week high of $351.23. The company has a market cap of $55.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $248.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.54.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The business had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.28%.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1927 by Arthur J. Gallagher, the company has grown from a regional broker into an international professional services organization that arranges insurance, provides consulting and designs risk-transfer solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector and individual clients.

The company’s core activities include property and casualty insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting and administration, and a range of risk management services.