UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Price

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) had its price target lowered by equities researchers at UBS Group from $345.00 to $322.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.56% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $352.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $371.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $329.15.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE AJG opened at $286.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.64 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $274.25 and a 12 month high of $351.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $315.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $322.72.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

In other news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total transaction of $342,040.00. Following the sale, the director owned 45,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $8,528,080. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AJG. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 209.1% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centennial Bank AR bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.