Insider Selling: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Director Sells 850 Shares of Stock

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Director David S. Johnson sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.84, for a total transaction of $219,164.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,630,646.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $252.06 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $244.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.76. The firm has a market cap of $55.08 billion, a PE ratio of 51.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $198.52 and a 52-week high of $259.35.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.08. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 10.27%. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

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

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AJG. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.0% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,050,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,763,177,000 after buying an additional 727,325 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 8.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,664,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,202,742,000 after purchasing an additional 726,485 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.6% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,209,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,415,345,000 after purchasing an additional 34,999 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,308,316,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,000,975 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,139,872,000 after purchasing an additional 90,842 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $253.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $233.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $255.71.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.