Two Sigma Investments LP Purchases New Stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $382,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,773 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,639,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 104.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $883,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 2,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $791,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG opened at $314.29 on Wednesday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $251.42 and a 52-week high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.51. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $331.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $317.12. The firm has a market cap of $80.49 billion, a PE ratio of 48.20 and a beta of 0.74.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 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, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.63%.

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

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total transaction of $2,505,260.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,029,771.80. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 45,323 shares in the company, valued at $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 32,510 shares of company stock valued at $11,033,341. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on AJG. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays boosted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $352.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $319.29.

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.