ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Acquires 21,448 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher by 17.4%, adding 21,448 shares to hold 145,001 shares (about 0.06% of the company) valued at roughly $37.5 million at quarter-end.
• Arthur J. Gallagher reported quarterly EPS of $4.47, beating estimates by $0.04, with revenue of $4.71 billion (up 29% year-over-year) that was slightly below expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.70 (annualized $2.80, 1.4% yield; ex-dividend June 5, payable June 19) and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" analyst rating with a $268 price target.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,001 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,448 shares during the quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. owned about 0.06% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $37,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $9,877,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,338,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,299,674,000 after purchasing an additional 3,330,205 shares during the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 65,889 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,398,000 after purchasing an additional 6,090 shares during the last quarter. Cincinnati Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,824,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 241.4% during the 3rd quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 49,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,332,000 after purchasing an additional 35,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG opened at $201.87 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $216.40 and a 200 day moving average of $237.75. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $194.15 and a 52-week high of $351.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $51.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.54.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.67 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.18 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AJG. Citigroup raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $280.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $235.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $268.00.

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

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,384,778.72. This represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 85,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,552,814.40. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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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