Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Bought by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 33.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,903 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $15,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AJG. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its position in 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. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 1,250 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.74, for a total value of $313,425.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,344,571.98. This trade represents a 6.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total value of $1,566,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 50,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,348. The trade was a 10.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,100 shares of company stock valued at $5,921,175. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of AJG opened at $260.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $255.88 and its 200-day moving average is $287.76. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $236.34 and a 12-month high of $351.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.98 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $329.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $276.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $293.00 price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $328.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.22.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1927 by Arthur J. Gallagher, the company has grown from a regional broker into an international professional services organization that arranges insurance, provides consulting and designs risk-transfer solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector and individual clients.

The company’s core activities include property and casualty insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting and administration, and a range of risk management services.