Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Sold by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lessened its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 28.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,513 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $3,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 4.6%

AJG opened at $256.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $313.55. The business’s 50 day moving average is $230.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.91. The firm has a market cap of $65.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.50.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 10.76%.The company’s revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.31%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $618,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 47,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,850,714. This trade represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings beat expectations: Second-quarter adjusted earnings were $2.84 per share, $0.03 above the consensus estimate and up from $2.33 a year earlier. Arthur J. Gallagher Q2 Earnings Meet Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong top-line growth and capital returns: Revenue before reimbursements rose 24.3% year over year to approximately $3.96 billion. Brokerage and Risk Management revenue also increased 24%, including 6% organic growth, while Gallagher repurchased about 900,000 shares for roughly $170 million. Arthur J. Gallagher Q2 Revenue Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Gallagher declared a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share, payable September 18 to shareholders of record September 8, supporting the income component of the investment case. Arthur J. Gallagher Announces Third Quarter Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Board transition: The company announced the passing of director David Johnson and changes to board leadership. The development is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings but adds a governance transition to monitor. Arthur J. Gallagher Announces Passing of Director David Johnson
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and reported profit disappointed: Quarterly revenue of $3.95 billion was below the roughly $4.01 billion analyst forecast. Reported net income declined to $324 million from $368 million, with diluted GAAP EPS falling to $1.25 from $1.40, creating a mixed headline despite the adjusted EPS beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Sector growth concerns remain: Investors are questioning whether Gallagher’s approximately 6% organic growth can hold as insurance pricing conditions normalize, particularly after a peer reported weak underlying growth. Arthur J. Gallagher Slides Ahead of Earnings

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AJG shares. Piper Sandler upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $276.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $261.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.35.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 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.