Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stake Lessened by D. Scott Neal Inc.

D. Scott Neal Inc. reduced its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,555 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,260 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. makes up about 11.0% of D. Scott Neal Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. D. Scott Neal Inc.'s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $19,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $328.90 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $332.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $316.80. 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. has a 1-year low of $250.72 and a 1-year high of $351.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.44 and a beta of 0.74.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.45 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AJG shares. 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $319.36.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the insider now owns 11,941 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. This represents a 53.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This represents a 10.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,510 shares of company stock valued at $11,033,341. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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