Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Short Interest Update

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) saw a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,948,436 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the January 29th total of 5,722,133 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,449,747 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,449,747 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 2.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE AJG traded up $3.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $229.42. The stock had a trading volume of 821,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,517,664. The stock has a market cap of $58.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $195.00 and a 1 year high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $241.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $264.39.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its quarterly 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. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The firm had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total transaction of $1,032,440.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,472,271.97. The trade was a 18.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total transaction of $4,041,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 79,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,284,995. The trade was a 16.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 24,850 shares of company stock valued at $6,364,440 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted 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 during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AJG. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore lowered their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $353.00 to $334.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $250.00 to $247.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $281.76.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.