Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stake Lessened by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,190 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $15,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 7,710 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,388,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. Lantz Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 6.9% in the third quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 2,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 17.0% during the third quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:AJG opened at $212.41 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.55 billion, a PE ratio of 34.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.66. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $210.01 and a 1 year high of $351.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $251.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.45.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AJG shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target 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 note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Mizuho set a $277.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total value of $1,566,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 50,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,348. This trade represents a 10.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total transaction of $4,041,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 79,549 shares in the company, valued at $20,284,995. This trade represents a 16.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,100 shares of company stock worth $8,243,865. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.