BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $123.47 Million Stock Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 36.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 477,105 shares valued at about $123.47 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased or initiated positions, and institutional ownership stands at 85.53% of the company’s stock.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. reported quarterly EPS of $4.47, topping estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share payable June 19.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 36.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 477,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 128,675 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.19% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $123,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 668.2% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,384,778.72. The trade was a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total transaction of $864,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,552,814.40. The trade was a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG opened at $201.23 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $211.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $230.80. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $190.75 and a 12-month high of $351.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $51.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.53.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $262.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $266.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $235.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $264.00.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

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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