Sanctuary Advisors LLC Sells 29,272 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC sold 29,272 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., trimming its position by 60.9% to 18,789 shares valued at $4.862 million; institutional investors now own about 85.53% of the company.
• Arthur J. Gallagher reported quarterly EPS of $2.38, beating estimates by $0.03 and showing revenue of $3.57 billion (up 33.9% year-over-year) but slightly below the $3.61 billion consensus; the stock trades with a market cap of $54.38 billion and a P/E of 34.39.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share (annualized $2.80, ~1.3% yield) with an ex-dividend date of June 5, and analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $273.94.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC decreased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 60.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 29,272 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $4,862,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 46,507 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $12,036,000 after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,390,446 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,123,534,000 after purchasing an additional 217,136 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,594 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,511 shares during the last quarter. Directional Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,271,000. Finally, Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 4,256 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG opened at $211.51 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $217.48 and a 200 day moving average of $240.61. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $195.00 and a 52-week high of $351.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $54.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.39, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.68.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The company had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.19 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 45.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AJG shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $262.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $273.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 19,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,384,778.72. This represents a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.40% of the stock is 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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