Bank of Montreal Can Grows Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 238,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,999 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.09% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $73,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.4% during the second quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.1% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.3% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,226,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded AJG from “underweight” to “overweight” and raised its price target to $262, arguing AI disruption fears are overdone — a clear bullish catalyst that supports upside vs. current levels. AI Disruption Fears Overdone, Says Barclays — Upgrades Arthur J. Gallagher and Willis Towers Watson
• Positive Sentiment: Company news shows a raised quarterly dividend (now $0.70; $2.80 annualized), a direct return of capital that can support investor sentiment and income-oriented buying. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 recap pieces highlight mixed results: EPS modestly beat estimates while revenue slightly missed; the quarter showed strong year-over-year revenue growth but leaves some execution questions. Insurance brokers stocks Q4 highlights: Arthur J Gallagher (NYSE:AJG)
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate PR (Gallagher’s employee communications report) and institutional flow notes are background positives for culture and long-term positioning but unlikely to move the stock materially in the near term. 61% of organizations have no formal change communication strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix remains centered on “Hold” with a consensus target near the high $200s — supportive but not uniformly bullish, leaving valuation-sensitive investors cautious. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece reiterates AI disruption risk for brokers, keeping a negative narrative alive that can pressure multiple-coverage stocks despite counterarguments from banks. Arthur J. Gallagher: Cloudy Investment Case Due To AI Disruption Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling (VP Scott Hudson and VP Christopher Mead sold shares) is being noted by the market; while not uncommon, disclosed sales at higher prices can add short-term selling pressure. SEC Form 4 disclosure

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AJG shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $226.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $282.65.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $209.67 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 has a market capitalization of $53.91 billion, a PE ratio of 34.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $195.00 and a 1-year high of $351.23. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $236.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $261.53.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 95,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,715,254.85. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 79,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,284,995. This trade represents a 16.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 32,650 shares of company stock worth $8,137,686. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.