Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $35.85 Million Stock Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.7% to a total of 111,979 shares, valued at approximately $35.8 million.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.33 for the quarter, missing estimates by $0.03, with a net margin of 14.54% and a revenue increase of 16.0% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65, representing a 0.9% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 36.93%.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,979 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,893 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $35,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth about $34,000. Centennial Bank AR bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.78, for a total value of $899,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,407,849.06. This represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total transaction of $3,825,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,569,792. The trade was a 13.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $0.12 on Monday, hitting $299.54. 482,479 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,525,790. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $298.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.80 billion, a PE ratio of 42.55 and a beta of 0.72. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $275.56 and a one year high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 13.17%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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 was paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AJG. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $288.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $317.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $330.93.

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.