Consolidated Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 825 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Consolidated Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 825 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $285,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AJG. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 106,991 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,369,000 after buying an additional 6,239 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 948 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $770,000. Banco Santander S.A. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $400,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 63,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $17,973,000 after purchasing an additional 3,383 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE AJG traded down $2.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $311.52. 715,217 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,386,334. The stock has a market cap of $79.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.08 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $327.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $320.48. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $267.00 and a 1 year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is currently 37.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $318.21.

Insider Activity

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 value of $4,645,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,941 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. The trade was a 53.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 91,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,528,080. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.