Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Sets New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $351.23 and last traded at $345.66, with a volume of 470324 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $348.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $319.36.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a market cap of $84.23 billion, a PE ratio of 50.44 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $332.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $316.80.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.45 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 37.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total transaction of $4,645,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,941 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. The trade was a 53.06% 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 Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total value of $2,505,260.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,029,771.80. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,510 shares of company stock valued at $11,033,341 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,012,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $243,000. WBI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,490,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 608.5% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,556,000 after buying an additional 3,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 131.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 42,173 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,560,000 after acquiring an additional 23,941 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.