Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Sold by Clarius Group LLC

Clarius Group LLC cut its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AJG. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AJG opened at $234.58 on Monday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $196.70 and a fifty-two week high of $256.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.67. The company has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.83, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.68.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.40 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.60 dividend. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

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

In other news, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total value of $308,026.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $516,269.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.06, for a total value of $3,825,900.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 96,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,666,597.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total transaction of $308,026.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,023 shares in the company, valued at $516,269.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,016 shares of company stock valued at $7,176,180. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $279.00 to $233.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $255.00 target price (down from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $255.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.