ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Makes New Investment in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., purchasing 88,807 shares valued at approximately $30.66 million during the first quarter.
• Insider activity was notable as VP Scott R. Hudson and another insider sold a total of 25,000 shares worth around $8.53 million in recent transactions.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $329.15 following adjustments from various firms.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 88,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $30,660,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AJG. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Centennial Bank AR purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $345.00 to $322.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $352.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $329.15.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were 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 owned 11,941 shares in the company, valued at $4,109,256.33. This trade represents a 53.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total transaction of $342,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,323 shares in the company, valued at $15,502,278.92. This represents a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded up $3.65 during trading on Thursday, reaching $289.91. 3,115,967 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,499,937. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $314.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $322.47. 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 $74.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.18 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 13.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. Sell-side 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, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.93%.

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.