Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $280.3529.

Several research firms recently issued reports on AJG. Wolfe Research downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $242.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $278.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total value of $618,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 47,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,850,714. This represents a 5.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in 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 in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.2%

AJG stock opened at $254.36 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.35 billion, a PE ratio of 41.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.50. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $316.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $221.35 and a 200 day moving average of $225.41.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.04. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.67 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 45.31%.

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.