Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Invests $1.16 Million in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth approximately $1.16 million during the first quarter, purchasing 3,347 shares of the company.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $2.33, missing analysts' expectations, with revenues of $3.18 billion, a 16.0% increase year over year.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, set to be paid on September 19th, representing an annualized yield of 0.9%.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,347 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,155,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $719,489,000. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,199,413 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,327,403,000 after buying an additional 1,910,471 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1,511.2% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,758,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $499,055,000 after buying an additional 1,649,046 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 53,148.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,319,505 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $374,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ghisallo Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $269,658,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 1.1%

AJG stock traded down $3.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $284.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,787,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,318,036. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $318.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $322.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $72.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.35 and a beta of 0.71. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $274.25 and a twelve month high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 14.04% and a net margin of 14.54%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 36.93%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 11,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. The trade was a 53.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AJG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $371.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $352.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $329.75.

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.