Sage Investment Counsel LLC Makes New Investment in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 3,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $736,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AJG. Triumph Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. NFSG Corp grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% in the third quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 12,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.08, for a total value of $3,240,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 71,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,254,543.36. This trade represents a 14.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $899,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,223 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,711,755.46. The trade was a 13.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,500 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,950. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 0.6%

AJG opened at $266.55 on Tuesday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $190.75 and a one year high of $281.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.32 billion, a PE ratio of 44.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $247.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 9.96%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.16 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 46.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Oppenheimer started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $291.00 to $284.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Wolfe Research lowered Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $271.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.74.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company. The firm helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance and related services.

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.