Sfm LLC Invests $1.39 Million in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

SFM 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 (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,023 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,389,000. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. makes up about 1.0% of SFM LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 6.0% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,137,000 after buying an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.0% in the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,614 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 585.2% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 84,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,320,000 after purchasing an additional 72,530 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $156,000. Finally, Tritonpoint Wealth LLC raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.3% in the first quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 3,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $3.77 on Friday, hitting $316.38. The stock had a trading volume of 1,038,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,344,334. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $251.42 and a one year high of $351.23. The stock has a market cap of $81.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.52 and a beta of 0.74. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $331.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $317.22.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. The business's revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AJG. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $319.29.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total value of $4,645,755.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,941 shares in the company, valued at $4,109,256.33. The trade was a 53.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the firm'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 now directly owns 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,502,278.92. This represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,510 shares of company stock worth $11,033,341 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.