Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Given New $280.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) had its target price lowered by Jefferies Financial Group from $283.00 to $280.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on AJG. 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 on the stock in a report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.12.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE AJG opened at $245.46 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $63.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.66. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $236.34 and a 12 month high of $351.23. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $253.11 and a 200-day moving average of $275.67.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 5,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.05, for a total transaction of $1,290,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 95,777 shares in the company, valued at $24,715,254.85. This trade represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total transaction of $1,032,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,472,271.97. This trade represents a 18.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 32,100 shares of company stock worth $8,243,865 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AJG. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth approximately $59,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth $291,000. Clarius Group LLC increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 47.7% in the 2nd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 12,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,011,000 after purchasing an additional 4,047 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.