Czech National Bank Has $20.04 Million Stock Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.2% during the second quarter, now owning 62,599 shares valued at approximately $20 million.
• Equities analysts have mixed ratings for the stock, with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $333.13.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. reported $2.33 EPS for the most recent quarter, missing estimates and reflecting a 16% year-over-year revenue growth.

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,178 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $20,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Centennial Bank AR bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $352.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price 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, July 9th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $317.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $371.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $333.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.78, for a total transaction of $899,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,407,849.06. The trade was a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total value of $3,825,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at $25,569,792. This represents a 13.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG traded up $3.98 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $296.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,405,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,289,103. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $299.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.58. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $274.25 and a 52 week high of $351.23. The company has a market capitalization of $76.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.14 and a beta of 0.72.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.93%.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.