UBS Group AG Buys 28,359 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 361,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,359 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.17% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $81,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% in the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter valued at $45,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.24, for a total value of $205,792.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 44,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,496,312.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 8,717 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $2,240,269.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 44,691 shares in the company, valued at $11,485,587. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.24, for a total value of $205,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 44,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,496,312.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,219 shares of company stock worth $12,727,781. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AJG. Bank of America lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $233.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $255.00 target price (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $253.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $255.71.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG stock opened at $257.65 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $244.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.69. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $198.52 and a 12-month high of $259.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $56.30 billion, a PE ratio of 52.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.69.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.08. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.08 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 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.58%.

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.