Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Sold by Marks Group Wealth Management Inc

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,971 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,103 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises 1.0% of Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $10,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. MRP Capital Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 81.7% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 109 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,502,278.92. This represents a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total transaction 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 $4,109,256.33. The trade was a 53.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,528,080 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG stock traded down $2.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $311.52. The company had a trading volume of 715,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,463. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $327.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $320.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.08 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $267.00 and a one 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.39% and a return on equity of 14.83%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.45 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on AJG shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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 report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $318.21.

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.