Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Sold by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lowered its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,194 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $8,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 668.2% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 84.8% during the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $216.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $210.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $227.44. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $190.75 and a 1-year high of $327.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $55.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.52.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.67 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.27 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $235.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $262.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $618,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 47,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,850,714. This trade represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.