Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Earns Neutral Rating from Analysts at Mizuho

Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $276.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $275.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $353.00 to $334.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $305.44.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG opened at $250.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $236.34 and a 1-year high of $351.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $290.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.42 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50 and a beta of 0.69.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.19). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 13.58%.The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael Robert Pesch purchased 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $247.12 per share, for a total transaction of $988,480.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 41,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,341,724.88. This trade represents a 10.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 1,250 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.74, for a total transaction of $313,425.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,344,571.98. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,250 shares of company stock worth $6,071,365. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AJG. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 209.1% during the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.