Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Receives $264.00 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $264.00.

Several research firms recently issued reports on AJG. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $235.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $908,480.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.7% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 1,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.9% in the third quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.1% in the third quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 10,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,604,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG stock opened at $201.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.70 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.54. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $190.75 and a 12-month high of $351.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $211.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.94.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 29.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.31%.

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.