Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Grows Stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.5%, now holding 64,494 shares valued at approximately $22.3 million.
• In recent insider transactions, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares, resulting in a 10.33% decrease in his position.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. plans to distribute a $0.65 quarterly dividend on September 19th, signaling a 0.9% annualized dividend yield.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $22,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Centennial Bank AR purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Motco lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 700.0% in the first quarter. Motco now owns 112 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. SouthState Corp bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. The trade was a 10.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were 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 approximately $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG opened at $295.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.70 billion, a PE ratio of 41.94 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $322.41. 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. has a 1-year low of $274.25 and a 1-year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% 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 last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is 36.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $317.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $370.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $345.00 to $322.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $331.07.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 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.

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