Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Position Decreased by Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 91.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 46,953 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $1,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,433,710 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $997,053,000 after acquiring an additional 884,394 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 180.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,228,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $307,076,000 after purchasing an additional 790,467 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.0% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,050,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,763,177,000 after purchasing an additional 727,325 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 219.6% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,043,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $270,660,000 after purchasing an additional 717,221 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Investment Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 476.2% in the fourth quarter. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. now owns 484,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,965,000 after buying an additional 400,453 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG opened at $279.45 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $218.63 and a 1-year high of $301.04. The company has a 50 day moving average of $286.46 and a 200-day moving average of $263.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $61.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.57, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.72.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.02. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 10.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 48.58%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.68, for a total transaction of $1,992,760.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 75,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,625,146.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 6,335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.06, for a total value of $1,799,520.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 30,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,536,855.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.68, for a total value of $1,992,760.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,625,146.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,622,660 over the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AJG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $241.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Barclays began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $264.00 to $267.00 in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $301.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $282.93.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.