Hantz Financial Services Inc. Has $11.31 Million Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,125 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $11,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AJG. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 192.7% in the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 2,417 shares during the last quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 9,961 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,758 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.3% in the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 38,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,270,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.9% in the second quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $571,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $261.95 on Thursday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $261.04 and a 1 year high of $351.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $296.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.23. The company has a market capitalization of $67.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AJG. UBS Group boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.43.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.54, for a total transaction of $2,396,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,186,742.58. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total value of $3,825,648.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 85,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,569,792. The trade was a 13.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,916,928. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.