Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Position Increased by Annex Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.9% to 102,631 shares, now worth about $26.56 million, and overall institutional ownership stands at 85.53%.
• Sell‑side analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $273.94, although several firms recently trimmed their price targets.
• Two company VPs sold shares (3,800 and 4,000 shares) in March, while the firm raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 (annualized $2.80, yield ~1.3%).

Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 102,631 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,478 shares during the quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $26,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AJG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $353.00 to $334.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $246.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $271.00 to $235.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.94.

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

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. This trade represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 19,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,384,778.72. The trade was a 17.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $219.96 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $217.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.94. The company has a market cap of $56.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.77, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $195.00 and a 1 year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.13%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s quarterly revenue was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 45.53%.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

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.

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