Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Sells 33,763 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lowered its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,069,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 33,763 shares during the quarter. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. makes up about 2.0% of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. owned 0.42% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $331,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $908,480.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 19,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,384,778.72. This trade represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $1,290,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 95,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,715,254.85. This represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,650 shares of company stock valued at $8,137,686. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE AJG opened at $207.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.50. 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 one year low of $195.00 and a one year high of $351.23.

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 firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 45.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $311.00 to $298.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $282.65.

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.