Welch Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 10.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 253,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 23,787 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises about 2.1% of Welch Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Welch Group LLC owned 0.10% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $54,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AJG. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $212,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,837,000. Triangle Securities Wealth Management increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.9% in the first quarter. Triangle Securities Wealth Management now owns 4,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 252.5% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 7,971 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,726,000 after purchasing an additional 5,710 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 3.9%

AJG opened at $226.34 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $323.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $210.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $58.15 billion, a PE ratio of 36.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.52.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 10.76%.The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 29.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.31%.

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

In other news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total value of $618,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 47,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,850,714. The trade was a 5.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Monday, June 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $262.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.12.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.