Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $292.00 and last traded at $292.5350, with a volume of 1,233 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $288.38.

Key Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies maintained a Buy rating and raised its price target to $319 from $295; Wells Fargo also issued a Buy rating. Wells Fargo rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Gallagher appointed Tom Doyle CEO of its Benefits & HR Consulting division in a leadership transition. The announcement did not specify a financial impact. Leadership announcement
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets cut AJG to Market Perform from Outperform, citing profit-taking, while Citigroup also downgraded the stock to Neutral. The shift in ratings could temper enthusiasm after the shares’ recent strength. BMO downgrade Citigroup downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst J. Christiana lowered the FY2026 EPS estimate to $13.15 from $13.75, bringing it roughly in line with the $13.16 consensus forecast.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Douglas Howell sold 30,996 shares and VP Christopher Mead sold 7,590 shares on Nov. 2; each transaction reduced the executive’s holdings by about 25%. Insider sales can concern investors, though they do not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook. CFO filing VP sale report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AJG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, September 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.05.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $249.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.47.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.01. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.39% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 42.81%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 30,996 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.15, for a total value of $8,528,549.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 92,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,578,219.15. The trade was a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 7,590 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.72, for a total value of $2,123,074.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,287 shares in the company, valued at $6,234,119.64. The trade was a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 67,086 shares of company stock valued at $18,214,574. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 208.2% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 9,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,058,000 after purchasing an additional 6,095 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,587,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 149,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,389,000 after buying an additional 9,966 shares in the last quarter. Gtcr LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $514,112,000. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 193,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,433,000 after acquiring an additional 22,227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company. The firm helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance and related services.

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.