Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC Invests $7.43 Million in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC initiated a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., buying 34,294 shares valued at about $7.43 million. The stake represents roughly 1.1% of the fund’s holdings and its 28th-largest position.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. posted solid quarterly results, with EPS of $4.47, topping estimates by $0.04, and revenue up 29% year over year to $4.71 billion. Analysts expect the company to earn 13.22 EPS for the full fiscal year.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on AJG: several firms recently raised price targets, and the stock carries an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $280.35. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share, yielding about 1.1% annually.

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 34,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,427,000. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises about 1.1% of Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $949,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 10,061 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,604,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 634 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 862 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 1,895 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $254.36 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $190.75 and a 1-year high of $316.71. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $65.35 billion, a PE ratio of 41.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $221.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.67.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. The firm 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $261.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total value of $618,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 47,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,850,714. This represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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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