Insider Selling: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Sells 7,590 Shares of Company Stock

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Christopher Mead sold 7,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.72, for a total value of $2,123,074.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,234,119.64. The trade was a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 5.6%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded up $15.30 on Wednesday, hitting $288.75. 2,234,202 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,892,214. The stock has a market cap of $74.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.15, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $248.75 and its 200 day moving average is $232.74. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $190.75 and a 52-week high of $289.93.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.39% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business’s revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 208.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 9,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,058,000 after buying an additional 6,095 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,587,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.1% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 149,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,389,000 after acquiring an additional 9,966 shares during the period. Gtcr LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $514,112,000. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.0% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 193,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,433,000 after purchasing an additional 22,227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AJG shares. Argus upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.05.

Trending Headlines about Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $319 and maintained a Buy rating, while UBS lifted its target to $320 and also kept a Buy rating. Wells Fargo likewise issued a Buy rating. These calls suggest some analysts see further upside. Jefferies rating and price target UBS rating and price target Wells Fargo Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Gallagher named Tom Doyle CEO of its Benefits & HR Consulting division. The appointment provides leadership for a business unit, though the announcement does not indicate an immediate change to financial guidance. Benefits and HR leadership announcement
• Positive Sentiment: A summary of the Q3 earnings call highlighted strong growth, offering a supportive business outlook alongside the company’s reported year-over-year revenue growth. Q3 earnings-call highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup downgraded AJG to Neutral, with a $300 target, saying the risk-reward profile is more balanced. BMO also cut its rating from Outperform to Market Perform, citing profit-taking; its $295 target implies limited upside from recent levels. These downgrades may weigh on sentiment after the stock’s substantial advance. Citigroup downgrade BMO downgrade

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company. The firm helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance and related services.

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.