Avanza Fonder AB Cuts Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Avanza Fonder AB cut its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,395 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,608 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $6,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MRP Capital Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 81.7% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 109 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

NYSE AJG traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $312.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,428,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,340,836. The company's 50-day moving average is $331.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $317.12. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $251.42 and a 1-year high of $351.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.00 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

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. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. 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 previous year, the firm earned $3.45 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 37.63%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 11,941 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,109,256.33. This represents a 53.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 45,323 shares in the company, valued at $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,510 shares of company stock worth $11,033,341. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AJG shares. 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 lowered 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 research note on Monday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price 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 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $319.29.

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.