Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Shares in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 24,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,302,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on AJG shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $235.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.35.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:AJG opened at $247.57 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $226.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.22. 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 12-month low of $190.75 and a 12-month high of $315.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.50.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.04. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.67 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.31%.

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

In other news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $618,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 47,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,850,714. This trade represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.