Bridges Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $492,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 65,096 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $22,474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 11,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,022,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Court Place Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 4,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,731 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $746,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $2.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $311.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 715,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,463. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $327.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $320.71. The company has a market capitalization of $79.78 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08 and a beta of 0.71. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $267.00 and a 52 week high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.39% and a return on equity of 14.83%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.45 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AJG has been the subject of several research reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price objective for the company. 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. 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $318.21.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total transaction of $342,040.00. Following the sale, the director owned 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,502,278.92. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. The trade was a 10.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 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.