Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd Has $173.42 Million Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Stonehage Fleming increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 44.9% in Q4 to 670,103 shares valued at about $173.42 million, making AJG its ninth-largest holding and representing 5.3% of the fund (0.26% of AJG outstanding).
• Institutional activity and market context: 85.53% of AJG is institutionally owned with large recent moves (Norges Bank opened a ~ $1.54B position; JPMorgan holds ~20.34M shares worth ~$6.30B), analysts show a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of ~$273.82, and the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 (≈1.3% yield) amid modest insider selling.

Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 44.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 670,103 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 207,507 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. accounts for about 5.3% of Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd owned 0.26% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $173,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,536,230,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 19.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,338,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,299,674,000 after acquiring an additional 3,330,205 shares during the last quarter. Sands Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 453.3% during the second quarter. Sands Capital Management LLC now owns 1,121,249 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $358,934,000 after purchasing an additional 918,618 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 41,475.5% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 770,394 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $246,619,000 after purchasing an additional 768,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.5% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,107,390 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $962,483,000 after purchasing an additional 725,555 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 19,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,384,778.72. This trade represents a 17.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total transaction of $864,766.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 85,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $226.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.82.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG stock opened at $210.01 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $195.00 and a twelve month 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 company has a market cap of $53.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.67. The business's fifty day moving average is $226.21 and its 200-day moving average is $254.97.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.53%.

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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