Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $288.17.

AJG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $292.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $296.00 to $291.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.4%

AJG stock opened at $228.62 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.75 and a fifty-two week high of $313.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.91, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $250.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $230.35.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.33 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.43%.

Insider Activity

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, General Counsel Walter Bay sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.08, for a total value of $3,240,960.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 71,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,254,543.36. This trade represents a 14.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.13, for a total transaction of $3,169,560.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 90,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,840,902.06. This trade represents a 11.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 28,500 shares of company stock valued at $7,562,950 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.2% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.1% in the second quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 52,366 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,022,000 after buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.1% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 303.7% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 638,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,604,000 after buying an additional 480,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 97.9% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, risk management and related advisory services.

Gallagher operates through several businesses, including retail insurance brokerage, wholesale brokerage and reinsurance brokerage. Its Gallagher Re business provides reinsurance broking and advisory services, while Gallagher Bassett provides third-party claims administration and related risk management services.