Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $279.00 to $249.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $353.00 to $334.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $311.00 to $298.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.12.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of AJG opened at $216.54 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $195.00 and a 52 week high of $351.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $268.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The firm had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 5,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.05, for a total transaction of $1,290,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 95,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,715,254.85. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total value of $4,041,750.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 79,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,284,995. This trade represents a 16.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,850 shares of company stock valued at $6,364,440. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.