Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Buys Shares of 2,812 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,812 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% during the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.41, for a total value of $3,974,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,109,286.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.41, for a total transaction of $3,974,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 80,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,109,286.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,219 shares of company stock valued at $12,727,781 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus increased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $264.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen boosted 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 report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $233.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $253.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $255.71.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.