Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Christopher Mead Sells 4,000 Shares

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Christopher Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total value of $1,032,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 17,327 shares in the company, valued at $4,472,271.97. The trade was a 18.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG opened at $262.79 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $254.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $286.41. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $236.34 and a twelve month high of $351.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a PE ratio of 39.28 and a beta of 0.69.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.19). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 13.58% and a return on equity of 11.98%. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 38.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AJG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $329.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.22.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 26,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,950 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter worth about $354,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.9% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 11,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,427,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $296,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company 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.