Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Price

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $346.00 to $327.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $318.21.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:AJG traded down $1.64 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $313.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 948,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,765. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.39 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $328.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.12. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $266.18 and a 1 year high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.39% and a return on equity of 14.83%. The firm's revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.45 EPS. Research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 37.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total transaction of $3,540,285.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total transaction of $342,040.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,502,278.92. This represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 22.5% in the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $382,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 948 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Grand Managers LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $7,096,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.