Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 303,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,288 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $72,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Triumph Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. NFSG Corp grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% during the 3rd quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, insider Susan Pietrucha sold 15,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.30, for a total value of $4,240,146.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,791 shares in the company, valued at $4,740,099.30. The trade was a 47.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard Cary sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.86, for a total value of $252,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 46,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,838,652.34. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 105,616 shares of company stock worth $29,193,156. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG stock traded up $5.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $282.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,182,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,887,548. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $190.75 and a 12 month high of $294.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $251.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.47.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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 firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 9th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.32.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs. The company’s services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.