Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stake Lessened by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,549 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $4,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $227.86 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $265.59. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $195.00 and a 52 week high of $351.23. The stock has a market cap of $58.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.05, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The company’s revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 42.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total transaction of $1,032,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 17,327 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,472,271.97. This represents a 18.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total value of $4,041,750.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 79,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,284,995. The trade was a 16.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 24,850 shares of company stock valued at $6,364,440 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $289.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $292.00 price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.76.

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.