WCM Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,336,591 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,594 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. accounts for approximately 2.0% of WCM Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. WCM Investment Management LLC owned about 0.91% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $796,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allred Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 3,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $960,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 1,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 34.3% during the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.5% in the first quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 7,195 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,484,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $319.29.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related 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 value of $342,040.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 91,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This trade represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $8,528,080. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE AJG traded down $3.94 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $315.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,450,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,374,883. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $257.77 and a one year high of $351.23. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $329.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $318.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.67 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 14.83% and a net margin of 14.39%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.45 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.63%.

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.